The Purge
by wisegirlindisguise
Summary: In a story of death, loss, and betrayal of the strangest and strongest kind, the giants have every intention of destroying the chances of the gods defeating them. When their chances lie with their children the Purge is born. Placed after The Lost Hero.
1. Chapter 1

**I know I said I was going to try and stop, but this fanfiction addiction has gotten to me quite recently when I thought of the mythology connected to the giants in Riordan's new book about Jason and them. Since Nico was never really there I decided to give him this part. I hope you enjoy. **

**This takes place after The Lost Hero. I adore the book and am rereading it so forgive me if I mess up some character, for some of the newer characters are not fully developed. We'll see how it goes. **

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><p>As the golden dust rustled in the pit of blackness, it started to gather rolling in a gentle breeze toward the body of a girl. It swirled around her fingertips in a flurry settling into her skin as if it were puzzle pieces. The dust that remained rode the last bit of wind to the girl's lips where they danced on the broken piece off body that seemed to be missing sections of its self, but when it settled against her lips she was whole.<p>

The chest of the girl rose as she took her first deep breath in a long while. The dry air swirling in her lungs that seemed to be nothing but an accessory to her. Though her body still slept, she was alive. Her hair was changing lengths and shades, though it was strewn cross the black rock her body was strewn across. Her body seemed to change as well. Her lips changed how plump they were or slender. The shape of her face seemed to change at the slightest as well morphing before any beholder.

This was the part where she would have to wait though. This siren had spent so many years among the mortals getting what she wanted until she was slaughtered by a boy she had been hunting for quite some time. Blonde hair with a girl, a powerful girl who would soon have to make a choice to give up any future she would possibly have that involved the likes of him, that had been traveling across the country. Soon, he would be marked with a scar, but before she could witness the occurrence she had been speared by his black haired, blue eyed girlfriend with an arrow.

It took much more to kill a siren than simple arrow to the shoulder. Her chest would have been a more effective target, but nonetheless, without a heart, it still wouldn't do much good. They were young and naïve; she could have taken them down so easily, but she let herself get distracted. She allowed herself to get cocky and she attempted to show them just how powerful she was. But, no matter her power, she could not distract the smallest girl who hacked at her relentlessly with a dagger.

It was her fault she had bent sent back to the soul swallowing darkness of the pit that she had tried to stay away from for so long. The only issue with being a siren, such as she was cursed to be, was that when one was pulled from the pit they were assigned an objective. Until her objective was complete she was not freed from her master. The only way that one would get around that would be if they started with no master whatsoever; however, sirens slept much like she was at that moment until they were pulled. They could not climb the walls like the hellhounds and the other beasts, for they went into a sort of hibernation. They could only wish to be pulled from the pit and be given an easy job.

If only that were the fate of most…

Her body rose from the ground without a conscious thought in her head. It rose slowly as if she were still lying down on the black floor below. The only way she changed at all when she was lifted was that her hair fell back dangling beneath her lifelessly. Her eyelids rose ever so slightly though they did not open as her eyes were given back to her and the movement could be seen through them as she saw her past, being reminded of her failure. Her chest rose and fell swirling life into her body but that was all that kept her alive. The blood that pumped through her was the golden fluid of immortality that moved on its own without needing something as petty as a helping hand from a heart. The soul that occupied most pointing out everything correct was completely blackened by her past to an extent where there was no point in having a soul within her at all since she sold it off to anyone she pleased to get her way.

The lip of the chasm showed itself and her body found rest just outside its swallowing grasps. The darkness was intoxicating and it hung onto her body as long as it could before it slithered back into the depths fearing the minimal light of the Underworld. The body of the girl relaxed, her fingers slightly curled in as her palms laid face up on the cold stone. Her tattered clothes lay against the stone as lifeless as she was only moving when she breathed.

The shadow of a man stood over her. The man himself was in a normal form. His dark suit including the dark blue that made up his dress shirt. His hands were in his pockets and his dark hair was limply lying against his head, hanging in his eyes as if he had forgotten to slick it back that day.

"Rise siren," he spat kicking her leg as he started to pace.

Her eyes flashed open. The pitch black that seemed to have followed her out of the pit settled in her eyes. The blackness of her pupil had expanded to incase her iris and sclera to make her eyeball look completely black. She took a deep breath as her eyes met the world around her. The darkness of it was comforting though she would rather have the sun.

"Would you choose a form you wretched beast," he growled and the siren smirked searching through his mind before making herself look like a nicely built native American girl. There were feathers tied into her hair hanging with beads. Her eyes were dark brown as she settled into the form and she found her clothes changing as well into leather that folded over itself primitively as if she had simply tied it around her body to hang loosely and cover her. Since her constant change seemed to have bothered him so much, she had changed into what form he found most attractive. With the bronze skin and dark hair, she had taken form of his fantasy, of a girl the man may have loved at one point.

"Very well," he snapped as the siren got to her feet, "mock me, but I have pulled you from the pit and now you will follow orders." His husky voice was deep and it made him seem menacing, but he did not scare her. All he could do was push her back into the pit where she would wait for another to pull her out. At least this time she would be in full form and would be able to rest peacefully. Unless, the possibility of her body shattering when it met a ledge on the way down through the bottomless pit came to reality.

"Then ask it of me Enkelados. You speak as if you have utter control over the situation, but you have yet to tell me anything of the terms of service in which I am forced to agree to," the siren's voice was smooth but a bit deeper than expected though she had pulled that from his thoughts as well.

"You will not speak so out of terms with me," Enkelados turned directly to her meeting her eyes which was his first mistake. The siren hadn't taken this form to follow orders simply because she was told to take one. She had picked this one specifically from his memories and fantasies. The siren was standing in a form of everything he ever wanted, and in her eyes he saw everything he ever desired from a woman. "Destroy this form," he ordered and she sighed letting it melt away until she was standing in her favored form.

Her blonde hair and fair skin matched with her Renaissance peasant dress. The skirt was long but tattered at the end. She seemed bare like an open canvas dressed in black and white and a clean face that lacked the makeup most women piled on these days. This was a form that most girls took advantage of. They thought they could make it more beautiful by adding things. Voluptuous bodies that they embellished with ridiculous clothing or accentuating jewelry, all of it was extremely ridiculous. She took the body as it was and only took advantage of the fact that she could change it.

"You know my story," Enkelados looked at her once again dead on only seeing her black cold eyes that had no affect on him. "Now, I am putting you in charge of the beginning of history. If it will repeat itself you must spin this into action. This is your target," he threw down a picture of a dark haired boy with dark eyes. He wore an aviator's jacket and in the picture he only looked about twelve. "This is an old picture we have from a girl we found amongst an old junk yard. We had even older ones from a mortal school, but this would be more helpful. Since then he has disappeared from the mortal world. He should be around fifteen now which I know makes your job that much easier." Enkelados chuckled, and it seemed to bring a gust of wind that carried the picture across the floor to her.

The siren gathered the picture in her hand and looked at the picture tilting her head to think. "You want me to have history repeat itself; that's it, correct?" When he nodded she smirked. "You send me after this boy because he is to help me start this spiral? A son of Hades no less than? I need to know of what part of history it is exactly I am to repeat."

"You know very well what piece of history it is I am referring to, and you will respect my request and have it completed or you can join your sisters back in Tartarus," Enkelados growing impatience was spiking and it could be heard in his voice.

"Fine, fine," she held up her hand in surrender and slid the picture into the overcoat of her dress. "I will need time. Do you know the boys current location?" She tightened the strings of her dress but when she looked up he was gone. "Very well, I will find him myself. Now, I require only time." She giggled into the darkness listening to the monsters that were trying to scale its steep walls.

Her feet carried her to the River Styx where Charon was unloading a group of ghosts that had paid their way. She changed into a form she used frequently, for it was the one she used to leave the Underworld. Charon caught a view of her and pulled to her side letting the loading dock fall down to greet her.

"My dear, do you bring payment this time?" Charon asked his hollow cheeks and pale skin making him look deathly ill. But, the siren stood in pale form with dark hair and light blue eyes. His eyes scaled her and she could feel him gawking at her. He knew what she was and accepted that he would give her rides if only to see her perfect face for a little while longer.

"Put it on my tab Dear, I will pay eventually," the siren walked onto the boat and kicked the gang plank into the river where it caught fire and sunk into the river's grasps. "I need a ride to the surface, I need the sun." Charon did not respond he simply pushed the boat onward toward the surface.

They rode in a perfect bit of silence as they glided up through the waterfall that Charon shielded them from allowing them back into the mortal world. They boarded an elevator and rode back to the top where they came out in the recording studio where Charon took seat to a desk quietly and let the siren leave without another word to her as if she weren't even there.

The siren let her bare feet carry her down the streets. She followed the sounds of crashing waves that enticed her to the water where she belonged. A daughter of storms and tragedy, she was the personification of a sailor's beautiful nightmare. She was as changing as the weather and a tragedy to have about. She could lead people to their deaths. They would kill themselves with her venom in their blood. They would even follow orders with the venom running through her system. People would kill for her, quite literally.

As she met the sands of the California beach she smiled. Her body ached to feel the water lapping at her skin and her form that she could not carry on outside of the waters. Her toes hit the wood of a dock and she walked its length to the very end. She looked down into the black churning waters where the faces of fearing naiads swam away as fast as they could.

"Home," she smiled just as she dove in letting the water take her away. Her tail moved about taking advantage of the currents. It drove her toward her destination on the other side of the country. Her sisters that had been unfortunate enough to be cursed with a babysitting job, and in return for losing the child to the lord of the Underworld, had been bereft of their forever morphing power and given the body of birds. Their tails that let them cruise amongst the tides had been taken and the shame in themselves had banished them to that cursed island in the Sea of Monster. Demeter had stolen all of their glory from them and now she was one of the few of her sisters left who had any self worth that they could live with.

She came upon the shores of a river that repulsed her. The siren crawled from its waters standing on the muscular legs of the woman she enjoyed being. A plain, bare girl that was so much more powerful than she would let people believe. She made it to the side of the road only to find her self following it mindlessly. She knew very well where she was going. Camp Half-Blood wasn't too far, and the walk would be nothing to her.

She pulled the picture from her coat looking at the boy calmly. "This boy will be the one they kill last. I can only imagine the pain he'll feel after I let him out of my grasps." She smirked not actually feeling for the boy in the picture as she turned down the road that Camp Half-Blood rested on calmly as if there wasn't a whole army of kids on the inside of its borders training for the next time they were needed.

The siren flipped the picture in her hand and stared at the name at the back trying to make out the scrawl. The numbers for the date were clear and so was the note, but the name that was in the loopy feminine cursive was hard to make out. The back of the picture read:

_Dear Nico, _

_I am intending to give this to Percy in hope that he will pass it to you. I want you to know that I am thinking of you no matter the fact that I have joined the Hunt. You will be safe with dad or in camp and I hope that you will realize I needed to do this. You're a strong boy and I believe in you. I will always love you and you will always be the annoying geek I know so well. Read this whenever you get sad and are thinking of me so that you know no matter where I am I am thinking of you. _

_Love,_

_Bianca _

The siren looked up from the note and to the camp she was standing at the edge of. No one noticed her in the woods were she was hiding just out of reach of its borders. The boy she was hunting was laughing as he raced a few tree nymphs through the woods, known as dryads. The siren caught his thoughts and was able to chase him along the border until she got what he needed.

The siren's body shifted and she became a petite girl. Her hair was an ash brown and she had bright green eyes. She was wearing Levi jeans and a tank top that showed most of her waist. The tan she was sporting was noticeable but not too excessive and it seemed she had no tan lines. Her hair was choppy and short and she looked vulnerable, weak almost.

"Oh Nico di Angelo, if only your borders could protect your mind. I will meet you in the woods and you will meet your fantasy. You will meet Cara," the siren chuckled crumpling the picture up and tossing it to the ground. She snapped her fingers, and it caught on fire the ink making the fire slightly blue as it ate away at the film paper it had been written on. The clear face of Nico di Angelo melted away from the page as the gloss was eaten and soon all that was left was ash.

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><p><strong>Did you know that mythology said the Siren's Riordan mentions are only the sirens that were babysitting Persephone when she got kidnapped by Hades? Demeter punished them by taking they're beauty and cursing them with the bodies of birds. The whole shapeshifter thing is my twist on the legend. I hope you like it. <strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	2. Venom's Haze

**Hey all, I don't know who all is reading this but I hope you enjoy. This story is a bit darker and I hope that suits some of your fancies as it does mine. Enjoy. **

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><p>A dark haired boy swerved between the trees having been assigned the job of border patrol for the middle of the day. He didn't mind really. He had liked having friends and all, but he missed the quiet of the Underworld that he had grown so accustomed to. The alone time among the trees was relished in his mind, and he could not wait to be out skating the edge of the border only to stand there and do nothing. Everyone else would be at lunch and he would not be bothered by any of them.<p>

The people that he could really stand were gone or missing. Annabeth was gone with these new kids named Jason and Piper. They were all three on a quest together to find Percy Jackson the only other person Nico di Angelo could really tolerate amongst the madness of Camp Half-Blood.

Nico kicked up the dirt letting it scatter in the air like a fine mist until it resettle leaving a divot where his foot had met the Earth. He was sure Mother Earth would not appreciate it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He stayed on his feet as long as he could until he became lazy and tired resting. His back was pressed to a tree as he slid to the ground taking a seat. His legs were extended out in front of him so that his feet passed the border without him realizing it.

He closed his eyes for a moment only to find that he felt as if he were being watched. His eyelids fluttered open to be graced with the beauty of a girl who was walking through entanglement of trees until she was standing at his feet. She kicked the soles of his shoes smiling at him with a sweet grin.

"What are you doing outside of camp borders?" Nico asked as if he had seen her before. He could've sworn he had. She was somewhere in his memories and he could place her face to a gentle name that just seemed to fit her so perfectly, but he could not recall the place at which they had ever met.

"I decided to go for a stroll," she giggled as he got to his feet straightening out his clothes self consciously. He moved sporadically as if he were nervous in front of her tugging at his jacket furiously. The winter was just beginning to calm down into the spring so the cool winds seemed to rush at them full on making her hair move into her face but it didn't seem to bother her.

"I'm sorry," Nico finally said extending a hand to her as he moved a bit closer, "I could've sworn I've seen you somewhere before, and I'm almost positive I know your name. But, could you remind me?"

She took her hand from her side and set it against his slowly letting her fingers curl around his. When he looked down at their joined hands smiling she looked to his blade sheathed at his side making sure to be careful of it. Her eyes flashed black and we he looked up her eyes quickly became what he wanted them to be.

"My name is Cara. You probably haven't seen me around that much because I'm the daughter of a minor god. We run different circles and I don't have to come here very often." She shrugged and dropped his hand not having even bothered to shake it. She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and started to move back slightly.

"Be careful of the border," Nico warned quickly grabbing her arm to stop her from moving back too far as if they hadn't passed the border all ready.

"Oh, I'm very careful of the border," she smiled at him letting the lie set into his mind as he thought about what he truly wanted. Cara hadn't backed up to make him worry, no; they were outside of the borders now. She was very much aware of the border. She had back up because the border was pulsing as if it knew she were too close to one of its inhabitants.

"So who is your godly parent?" Nico asked dropping her arm when he realized he had never intended on letting go. Her whole appearance seemed to be getting to him, but he guess it was just the way she was. _It was an essence her godly parent must have given to her._ Or at least that was how he reasoned it in his mind.

"I am a daughter of Eros, god of—,"

"Sexual desires," was he the first thing that came to Nico and he had repeated his thoughts aloud within the instant. Cara's face burned bright red and it only took a moment for him to realize what he had said. "Oh gods, Cara, I'm so sorry, I don't know where that came from," Nico apologized frantically rubbing his forehead with his hand in disappointment in himself.

"No, no, it's okay," she smiled still having the red powdered across her face, "I'd say it happens it often, but truly it's just flattering." Cara dismissed it with a wave of her hand and a shrug of her shoulders as if that was all it would take. His comment would forever be engrained in his own head though. It was humiliating to an extent where he couldn't believe it was self inflicted. "Well," she sighed looking up at the sky as if she were reading the hour by its height, "I will be heading to my cabin. How about you meet me here tomorrow? Maybe I can get to know you better." Cara smiled at him with her teeth showing as if their plans made her the happiest she had ever been.

"I'll be here," he assured her immediately nodding. "Same time that we met today?" he asked pretending like he could read the sun as well.

Cara nodded and walked along the outside of the border just as he turned away and stepped back into it. He never noticed the change in weight of protection for which Cara was grateful for. This was already going to be hard enough tricking a son of Hades, but now he would have to do it through the borders of a camp she had never been able to penetrate.

No matter the difficulty of the situation, it would be done. She would have to work around it and that would start with the meeting with him the next day.

As the days passed she grew more enticing to him. She was able to search into his thoughts and see that attitude he wanted to match her appearance. She was to be flirty and graceful as if she had taken many years of a dance class she did not want to admit to, and he lapped it up. Their meetings became more frequent and normal and without a lush amount of friends no one questioned his disappearances into the woods.

Their first kiss only happened a few days later after their first meeting. She had drawn him outside of the borders and kissed him with a passion that only a satyr would know to be a facade because they would only have the nose to smell through the vanilla she had used to hide her scent from the di Angelo boy. As those kissed grew longer and more passionate she pulled him farther from the borders of a camp. She blurred the lines of where exactly the border stood drew a new one each day until they were a good ten feet from the protection of his precious camp.

One day three weeks or so later she had him backed up to a tree. He was shirtless and had a hand under her shirt caressing her body gently with his rough hands. She had him to the point where he didn't care for their surroundings at all, only her. This was her venom at work, but in order to complete her orders she would need more than just this. She would have him hooked on her and make him think he couldn't live without her. She had worked so hard and gotten so far in so little time but it still wasn't good enough.

"Nico," Cara pulled away from him looking deep into his eyes and watching as his heavy breathing seemed to make his eyes look even more inquisitive, "I want you, all of you," her voice was a hoarse breath and his eyes raced. He couldn't decide if he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. "Nico, I want you to take me. I'm giving myself to you," she whispered confirming his beliefs.

Nico moved away from her slightly kissing her forehead tenderly before grabbing his shirt. He pulled it on hastily and then grabbed Cara's hand dragging her toward the borders. But, just before she crossed the lines into the camp only to be zapped backwards she stopped. She pulled her hand from Nico's and stopped. He turned to look at her in frenzy, sad that she had suddenly changed her mind.

"Invite me," Cara asked smiling as if she were just being cute. She acted as if she were acting out one of her own fantasies. "Repeat after me:" her smile grew as if crossed his arms over his chest listening intently, "I, Nico di Angelo," his words echoed hers but a bit louder as if she were whispering them to an actor on stage, "give permission to Cara to enter the grounds." Nico finished and Cara ran forward to him and grabbed his hand again.

They raced along the grass of the strawberry fields looking around as they ran hoping no one would catch them. Cara only wished to not run into any satyrs that might sniff her out as an outsider. But, despite the dangers, they were able to hide away into the darkness of Nico's cabin where Cara gave herself to Nico di Angelo, only to make him hers.

When the deed was done they lay scantily glad beneath the sheets. He had an arm around her holding her close as she had her head laid on his chest. Her leg was draped over his midsection her petite body stay still against Nico who seemed so much bigger than she was. This was who Nico wanted, a girl that he could protect, a girl that would follow him to world's end because he was her way of staying alive. The way she acted and looked around him made her exactly that. His fantasy.

However, this fantasy was far from coming true. Instead of him protecting her and being stronger than her in every way, she had just become his master in a sense. Though he was under no spell, his decisions were made through the lust for her. Her venom was deep in his veins and renewed every time she allowed him a kiss. In so many ways, she had already completed her job, but there was more to come, much more.

"Nico, I need you to do something for me," Cara whispered as she moved her fingertips along his chest.

"What is it Cara? Anything, you name it." Nico answered as if he were still on a high of hormones. That was exactly what he was on, but it wouldn't fade. He would do anything and everything for her at this point.

"I have to admit to you that I'm not a daughter of Eros. I'm a siren," the new didn't shake him he didn't even react in fact he took it as if she had said nothing. "Your friends here at camp won't accept me though because I am a monster. They won't allow me to be with you."

"Then they're not my friends," Nico whispered and kissed the top of her head.

"That'll make it much easier on you when I ask you to do this," her eyes suddenly became that deathly never ending pit of black. They glistening in the light with their menacing gloss that would've shaken Nico had he seen it, but her eyes were hidden from him. "Nico, I need you to kill them. All of them."

"Cara, there are hundreds of campers here right now because it's almost summer and you want me to kill all of them." In truth, she had expected this kind of answer, but he had spewed nothing but logic. It was one against hundreds. He didn't sound regretful. He had no moral objection.

"You're a son of Hades, Nico. You can use armies of the dead, but until you can do that for me. I can't come back," Cara rose from the bed here eyes flickering back to the color he wanted to see. She got dressed slowly pulling them on in silence, and as she moved for the back door he stopped her.

"It'll be done," Nico promised standing from the bed and pulling on his boxers. "Come back by sunset tomorrow. I promise you. They'll all be gone." He walked up to her pleadingly taking her hand. "Just promise me you will return," he whispered pressing his forehead to hers.

With a gentle brush of her lips past his she made her promise and left the cabin leaving Nico behind to think about what he would do to start the end of the camp. His mind cranked at full speed as he got dressed. Finally, he decided.

He grabbed his blade and his skull ring sliding it onto finger with determination. Nico di Angelo walked to the dining pavilion where the tables sat across the roofless slab of marble. With the swiftness of a bird he dug his blade hilt deep into the marble as if the stone were only butter. He chanted in Greek as the small crack he had made split the whole pavilion. Darkness opened up in front of him and skeletal armies began to pull themselves from its depth.

"Attack the half-bloods and Chiron; you can rest when they're all dead." Nico ordered and the skeletons charged forward into the crowd of half bloods that had been training. Helplessly, the children grabbed the nearest weapon and began to try and hack at the skeletons. Without the planning for such an attack the struggles were immediate. Battles cries of Nico's warriors could be heard along with the cries of children as they demanded an answer from their parents that were still locked away in Olympus.

"Take it down!" Nico bellowed as a skeletal horse joined him. He mounted the steed and rode into the massacre. "Fight until there is not another living soul in sight!" his screaming reached everyone in the camp. His fellow campers only looked at him. Some had tears in their eyes from the betrayal as they tried to figure out what they had done.

The younger kids were being cornered by a hoard of skeletons but that didn't faze Nico. The haze over his vision and the clouds in his mind were what affected him most. He would get her back, by this time tomorrow all of the children of Olympus would be dead inside these borders and he would feel no regret. He would only feel happiness because only then could he be with his love.

The siren was in the form of the blonde with purely black eyes. She was leaning against Thalia's tree and smile at the scene before her. Battle after battle, only the veterans of the war seemed to be able to pull their wits. The younger kids were simple left to die on their own. The teens that protected the tikes were taken down immediately leaving the younger generation defenseless.

She could almost hear the laughter of Enkelados since only the giants could view they magnificent sight. Silly gods couldn't even help their children because they were so afraid. It only made the job easier. The siren had done only a small portion that would give the giants a huge advantage. Demigods fell at a rapid pace and soon the skeletons fell too as their jobs ceased.

The siren slipped the Golden Fleece from the pine tree that sat along on its hill top view. Immediately, the tree seemed to wilt. The siren smirked as she turned from the ghastly sight that only put a smile on her face. With the snap of her fingers the tree set on fire. The orange flames licked at its needles, tearing at its bark and flesh. The dragon slept through it all as it was curled around the trunk. Though sleeping wouldn't be much of an explanation. The dagger that was on the inside of it vulnerable mouth left it for dead.

The siren would return for Nico at sunset the next day. There was no doubting that, but on top of Half-Blood Hill near midnight peace burned along with the tree that rested on its crest.

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><p><strong>There is chapter two. I hope you all liked it. I enjoyed writing a lot of it. Let me know what you think and your opinion good or bad. Bring it on Flamers. <strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	3. Aftermath

**A whole single review that's amazing. Hah! Well, I hope that whoever is reading this but is not informing me they are reading this enjoys this because it's still a blast. Thank you for the comment, I appreciate that I stand out among the rest of fandom. **

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><p>Clarisse sat up from the ranks of her brothers and sisters. She took deep ragged breaths having had to hold her breath more than she had in her lifetime. Throughout the battle she had been hit in the leg and taken down. So, she stayed still; she acted as if she were dead trying to just survive the battle. She had succeeded in her efforts.<p>

Clarisse looked around her and held back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Around her, her peers were lying in the dirt and grass that was covered in blood. There wasn't a living soul in sight. She got to her feet slowly standing more on one leg than she was the other. She unlatched the heavy armor she had been wearing for training when they were attacked. The armor clanged to the ground and she slowly moved away from her spot trying to see if anyone else had followed her lead.

"Is anybody out here?" She screamed feeling helpless as no one was getting up. "Somebody, anybody?" Her voice echoed over the camp with no answer. There were no moans of pain or groans of walking on injured limbs, it was silent. The only noise came from the lake were the wind was making small bits of wake.

She limped for the cabins holding her side desperately trying to hold herself together to make her way around. There was a slash on her rib cage that was sapping her energy from her. Her blood coated her hands as she made it to the omega that was the ring of cabins. The hearth was surrounded by younger campers that had been slaughtered. A group of older camps lay around them; one of them she recognized.

"Chris! Gods no!" She screamed making it to him and dropping to his side. Tears stung her eyes as their water ripped through the dirt and blood spatter on her face. "Come out of hiding you bastards!" Clarisse screamed to the sky, but there was no answer. There wasn't a rumble of thunder. The only thing she could ask for was to be struck down at that point. "Your children are dying, and you're hiding! Are you happy now? We can't figure it out! We lost the camp!"

She held Chris in her lap moving the hair from his face. His neck was slit and he was coated in blood, but she wanted to pretend it wasn't there. Clarisse had always been the one to be tough. She was strong for everyone else and Chris had been the only one to look past that and see her. Now, she had lost him.

Tears flowed freely now as she held him. Her whole body was trembling and she wished he was doing at least that. But, his eyes lay open and his body was lifeless along with the hoards of bodies that were strewn across the camp. Everything she had ever known was gone and all that was left were the bones of what was.

On the other side of camp, Leo was climbing through the woods. He was thinking about the ship blue prints he was trying to perfect and calculate in the bunker. He had sent his brothers and sisters to bed and he stayed up all night. Secretly, he was trying to get Festus's head to work. He just wanted to be able to speak with the dragon and hopefully get insight on the building project.

Now he was tired though and needed some sleep. He stepped through the trees coming away from the bunker coming up to the dining pavilion. "What the hell?" He muttered looking at the large crack that looked like a giant crack in a sheet of ice. It was closed now though it used to be gaping. He stared at it and then looked up at the camp.

Fires smolder on the ground next to torches that had been extinguished. Bodies of his fellow campers were strewn across the camp. He heard a girl's voice as she screamed to the heavens with no answer. Leo looked at his fellow campers not sure what he could do and then took off toward the voice not able to see any sign of the living.

Leo came upon Clarisse La Rue who was hunched over a boy that was lying lifeless in her lap. "Clarisse?" Leo walked up to her setting a hand on her shoulder. Her body wracked with sobs and she couldn't seem to stop shaking. "What happened out here?"

She looked up her eyes meeting his. Where her irises usually relished in the thought of battle, they only held sadness. "Leo," She reached up touching his arm as tears continued to run down her cheeks. "It was Nico… Something happened he sent all these skeletons after everyone at the camp and then he disappeared. I don't know where he is and everyone else is gone."

Leo looked around at the camp the one place he hadn't run from. The one place he was able to call home, then to Clarisse. This was the same place to her. This was home and it had been destroyed. They both had lost so much and all he could do now was be strong for the girl that had seemed like she had no weakness the first time he met her. "Come on Clarisse, we'll gather the shrouds for the campers and we'll give them their proper ceremony that they deserve. Then we'll search the camp for survivors."

Clarisse nodded and got to her feet. "Good, we need to honor the dead first…" She looked down at the boy she had been holding and took a deep breath trying to swallow the rest of her tears. Leo kept a hand on her shoulder and walked her to the big house to get the shrouds.

They brought the bodies batch by batch to the pavilion and covered each body with a shroud. Leo lit all of them at the same time as soon as Clarisse stepped back and they prayed to Hera for safe passage to the heavens. They continued on with each group of their peers until they came to the one with Chris in it.

Clarisse sat next to the table he was lain out on with his head uncovered. Clarisse made sure that the shroud covered his neck so that she couldn't see the grueling cut that left him for dead. She moved the hair from his face ignoring the blood that came from his hair sticking out on her fingertips. "Rest in peace Chris Rodriguez… Know that I love you and be with the heroes like you in Elysium or may Hera bless you, allowing you into the heavens. One day, I will join you. I will come to you when I'm done fighting for you."

Leo watched her with his hands in his pockets waiting. He could see the glistening tears that had once run down her face but she was no longer crying. Whether it was because she was locking herself up or she had just run out of tears to cry, they would soon be gone from sight.

"Clarisse, this is the last group, I need you to step back. I don't want you to get burned," Leo said quietly pulling his hands from his pockets as Clarisse stood up. She came up to Leo and stood just behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Leo's palms caught fire and he threw the fire out toward the marble tables that were already charred from the others. Clarisse looked up to the heavens praying to the gods and Leo added a few things here and there and then it was over with.

They walked from the pavilion as the bodies burned and headed for the cabins. Slowly, they began to search every one of them. They started with the minor gods and worked their way toward the top twelve. There was no one, no survivors. Until, "Leo! Leo I need your help taking down this door!" Clarisse called from behind the Athena cabin where their weaponry shed was. The door was locked but there was an axe to the door as if someone had tried to get in.

Leo came around the back and looked at the door checking the door knob. Sure enough, it was locked tightly shut. Leo grabbed the handle to the axe and yanked it out of the wood of the door quickly. There was a collective gasp from within the shed that sounded like at the most three people.

"Break it in Leo!" Clarisse insisted and Leo held up a hand to her trying to get her to calm down. "What? There is obviously someone in there."

"Clarisse, they are obviously scared for their lives and have locked themselves in a shed." Leo waited for Clarisse to find her senses and when she nodded he turned to the shed again and knocked on the door. "This is Leo; we know you're hiding in there. I'm the leader of the Hephaestus cabin and the battle is over. You can come out now." Leo set his hand against the door and when there was no answer he sighed. "Whoever is in there, we're coming in."

The fire caught in Leo's hands and slowly he started to burn through the door trying to keep the flames under control as the door was taken down. Inside the shed a boy was holding a girl that had cuts across her stomach. Another girl was sitting next to them running a wet cloth across the girl's forehead. The girl that was severely injured was trembling and gasping for air as her body convulsed against the pain.

"Clarisse, Clarisse, it's Meagan. She got attacked and we dragged her in here we didn't know what to do. We couldn't let you in because there were skeletons and we weren't sure if they were gone. Help her please," the girl that only had a scratch across her face and a couple bruises asked. The boy was trying to get to his feet but his ankle looked pretty swollen and he wouldn't take his eyes off the girl.

"It's okay Anna. Meagan will be fine. Just, let's go." Clarisse helped Anna to her feet and then pulled the boy away from her letting them limp off together. Leo had to pick up the girl, Meagan, and carry her out.

Clarisse opened the Ares cabin and allowed the three found kids to take refuge to it. The three were told to stay in the cabin at all costs. Leo and Clarisse stayed in the main room staying away from the bunk room for a few moments to talk. Clarisse was still worked up and her heart was in it now. She wanted to be able to salvage what she could of her home and Leo was there trying to make her see logic that nothing would be the same. He wanted to save his home as well, but he already knew that there was little chance of ever getting that back.

"Leo, what about Chiron? I haven't seen him anywhere and he's all we have. He's our teacher and our mentor. He wouldn't leave everyone behind," Clarisse had her arms crossed over her chest with her leather jacket hiding her arms that were scarred and cut up. She didn't want to believe that he would leave them. Chiron wouldn't do that to them, would he?

"We haven't seen him in the Big House or out with the other campers. Where would he go Clarisse? The only other safe place would be in the Bunker, and that's where I was so he's not in there. There is no where else he could—," Leo looked Clarisse dead in the eyes with realization, "I know where some people can be hiding," he suddenly said and went for the door.

As he threw it open, Clarisse sprinted after him. "Leo, where are you going? We have three kids back in my cabin and you're just walking off—,"

"When I first came here, I was told something by Jake Mason about Cabin Nine," Leo explained as he made it to Cabin Nine. He ran inside and to the bathroom looking at the floor desperately. "Under Cabin Nine, the Hephaestus' kids have been excavating tunnels for years and still have not found the end. I don't know where all the entrances are, but I'm almost positive there is one in our cabin." Leo moved into the bunk room and looked around until he saw it. "Like that,"

A manhole sat toward the center of the room but away from Leo's bed that would rise from the ground. On the manhole covering there was a hammer then around the edge there was Greek lettering carved into it. He couldn't hear anything on the other side of the covering but he knew it would lead down into the tunnels.

Clarisse looked at him like he was crazy. He stood straight and tall and went to a wall that was covered in tools. He ripped a crowbar off its hanger and stalked back to the manhole covering with a crazy look in his eyes. And he had been the one to think she was insane? He could've very well be open the hole that led into a sewer system, but it didn't smell awful.

Leo hooked a crowbar under the edge and cracked open the lid. He slid it off to the side and looked down into the darkness. "Wish me luck," Leo smiled at Clarisse giving a two finger salute before he hung his feet over the side and jumped in. The fall only lasted a couple seconds though it made Leo's heart leap in his chest at a frantic speed.

He hit the ground and stumbled for a moment as he met the torchlight. Up and down a hallway that seemed to go on forever Leo started down toward the right which would lead him closer to the Big House hopefully. He could hear the voices as he got closer. They grew louder but it sounded like a deep hissing whisper that was arguing with someone.

Leo came upon a lit alcove where Chiron was standing along with a redhead and a couple other people. The redhead was draped in a cloak that looked purple and had snakes woven into its threads. Her eyes were an illuminated green and green smoke was billowing around her.

"They were not to leave on a scouting mission," the hissing voice argued the words being formed by the redhead's lips. "They should have been here you cursed child."

"Insult me again you ghostly bitch!" A boy said with dark hair and dark eyes. A son of Erebus no doubt. "We had them sent out there because while Cabin Nine is building a ship we need to start getting some idea of where this camp is. Otherwise, they will be flying blind into a battle field that they will most likely die in."

"Ryan, I suggest you not argue with an Oracle. I assure you she knows more than you do." Chiron sighed and trotted to the doorway where Leo was. "Leo, are you okay? Have you been down here in the tunnels child?"

"No sir, I was in Bunker Nine. I need you to come back up and join the world. The battle is over." Chiron nodded to Leo's words and motioned for all of those in the room to follow him out.

All of the people in the room filed out heading farther toward the Big House. The redheaded girl was last to leave stopping next to Leo. "The Romans are wise in their ways to be more protective of their borders, but know this: The Seven live. No matter the devastation The Seven live." The green faded from the girl's eyes and she gasped for air falling against Leo. Leo held her awkwardly for a moment until she rose to her feet. "I'm sorry about that, I got mugged again. Did I say anything about a prophecy? Some poem or something?"

"Uh…no, not exactly," She nodded as if the strange occurrence was all too normal and then hurried after the rest of the group. Leo stood there for a moment in utter shock before heading the opposite way of the rest of the group going back to the manhole where he crawled out to rejoin Clarisse.

"Who all did you find?" She demanded as soon as he was standing.

"Chiron, some redhead, a son of Erebus," Leo looked at her as he slid the cover into place. "Oh hell, you probably know their names; why are you asking me?" He demanded. Clarisse shrugged as if she hadn't considered it. The two of them left the Hephaestus cabin arguing on whether or not to get the other three kids they had found.

In the end, Clarisse won and the three kids were informed of where Leo and Clarisse were headed but were left in the cabin. Both Leo and Clarisse walked quickly up to the Big House where Clarisse was the only one of them to look like they matched the scene around them. The windows to the Big House were shattered and it looked as if someone had taken a bat to he place. The blood that soaked the ground made the place a swamp and the burning of the bodies could be seen in the distance. The smoke from the pavilion billowed up into the sky swirling in tendrils that reached up toward the clouds.

"Let our parents feast on that, they can have the smoke of our burning friends." The Erebus boy named Ryan said angrily looking at the sky as if he liked the idea of the gods eating the smoke of burning bodies.

"Ryan, we don't disrespect the gods by saying such things as that," Chiron said sadly putting a hand on his shoulder.

Ryan shrugged it off immediately turning on Chiron, "I saved your ass and got you underground. No disrespect to you, but they're our parents and should be helping us. They let us get slaughtered. I don't have any respect for them, just like they have no respect for us. Now, I'm going to go and see my friends." Ryan stalked off from the Big House heading for the dining pavilion where the fire was still burning.

"He has a point," Clarisse crossed her arms over her chest ready for Chiron's reaction, but he could only look at the smoke as if he missed the campers already. "Chiron, they aren't going to answer. There is no need to pray to them. The only one that's been seen is Hera and she's still MIA most of the time. Accept the fact that they aren't going to do anything until we sort out the Seven and make this people bridge with the Romans. We might've even lost one of them today."

"The Seven live," Rachel and Leo said simultaneously and everyone standing there looked between the two of them as if they were the strangest sight of the day. "History repeats itself," Leo finally said taking over the awkward situation. "These giant things lost last time and the Fates have probably had a similar ending planned for this one for thousands of years. They wouldn't allow one of the Seven to die. It would throw everything out of control."

Nyssa stepped up and Leo smiled glad to have someone from his cabin that would be able to help him build the ship they needed to go to Greece. He stepped forward to her and hugged her tightly she hugged him back patting his back before putting him at arms length. "Leo, you're a great leader, but you don't remember much from mythology. All of this, this massacre, it didn't happen last time. The Fates didn't plan this so we have no way of knowing what is going to happen."

"We have an oracle though! She can see or tell the future in form of confusing poetry," Leo argued stepping away from Nyssa. "Someone had to have seen this coming; someone didn't just pull it out of their butts today!"

"Someone did see it coming, the people planning it," Chiron sighed as he moved nervously against the grass. He looked unsettled by the amount of blood around him. It was probably because it was all from his students. The last time he had seen something like this was probably during the civil war. "Leo, the oracle is also perceptive. Any small prophecies can change at any point. It's unfortunate, but it is reality. I'm sorry my child."

"We have to do something. We have to protect some of them though." Rachel said angrily looking at everyone. She was decked out in cut off jeans with doodles all over them and a camp T-shirt. She had taken off the cloak and had been standing quietly among the ranks of the campers that had survived.

"How do you expect us to do that, _Oh Great Oracle_?" Clarisse said sarcastically looking at Rachel Dare as if she had somehow disappointed her. She was sure Rachel was incompetent to realize that there was no way for everything to just work out and protect a bunch of demigods. It would be difficult and way easier to be said than done.

"First, you go after Annabeth, Jason, and Piper. We need them here. Then we call everyone to camp. They will be safe here. Once everyone is in we'll shut it down. No one in; no one out until they leave for Greece in six months," Rachel explained it all out and everyone nodded.

"Chiron!" Ryan's voice barely reached them and they looked over at him in the middle of the grass field as he pointed to Half-Blood Hill. Everyone's head turned and the most fatal wound came with that simple motion. On top of the hill, the pine tree was still burning. The top was already black all it's needles gone. The fire was eating at the trunk as best it could, but eventually began to die.

Everyone's faces fell. Everyone began to mull about and looked at each other sadly. Clarisse looked at all of them. The hope that seemed to leave their eyes made her face fall and she walked past them all to the steps of the Big House walking up the steps so that she stood taller than everyone else. She looked at them all and they turned to her even Chiron who seemed intrigued by her taking a stand over everyone.

But then she turned her back. Clarisse turned away from everyone and walked toward the door of the Big House.

"Clarisse what are you doing?" Nyssa demanded stepping forward toward her as if she were going to stop her from walking off.

"I'm giving up, just like the rest of you," Clarisse answered not turning around to face them until Nyssa tried to speak again. Then Clarisse turned toward them looking at all of them with an anger that would have been worthy of her father. Fury danced in her eyes and she seemed as if her muscles were engorged and she was the strongest person there. "You all are giving up!"

"Clarisse, we're mourning. We just lost everything,"

"No we didn't! We lost people we consider family. Some of us lost loved ones. But, we have friends out there that are still in danger." Clarisse pulled out her spear that spiraled out from a canister. It sparked alive with electricity and she threw it down into the center of the group all of them coward away from it as lightening seemed to dance from its tips. "You all think just because a few buildings are damaged and we lost of our numbers that they won. You're letting them win! You heard Rachel and Leo, the Seven live and if there are more of us from the Greek side of this fight they are among us right now or out there as targets. It won't stop here; don't you get it? They are going to try and kill us all. They want the gods to lose this war and that will shove our mortal parents into darkness; they will die off. You're going to let others die when we could save so many of them.

"Now, I suggest you get yourselves together. This camp was a safe place before that tree was there, and it will be one long after it has been burned to the ground. Chiron, you will get this camp together. Leo, get your things. You're taking a break from building that war ship and you're coming with me. We are going to find Annabeth, Jason, and Piper." Clarisse walked through the center of the group and grabbed her spear. It spiraled down into its canister. She shoved it in her pocket and walked toward the Ares cabin.

She was sick of it all. She had lost more than everyone that day. She had lost Chris. The only person who she felt she could truly trust. He was gone. But, she was going to carry on. As a daughter of Ares there was something she was good at, and that was a fight. She would give one hell of a fight to redeem Chris. This massacre would be paid for with the naivety of the people that ordered it on her family. They would not get off easily and she was determined to make sure that she sent whoever it was to Tartarus or the Fields of Punishment, for whoever they were, they were a monster that would be put in its rightful place. Clarisse could at least control that.

The group watched her walk away only able to stare. Leo ran after her so that he could pack, but would find Clarisse's tears that stained her cheeks, the ones she couldn't hide. This small group was all they had until the camp recovered. They used to have their parents' watching eyes. They used to have a safe place where there were no worries inside the border. They used to have hundreds; it had only been as short a time ago as the previous morning that they had had hundreds. Now, well now, there were only nine of them. Out of a full camp, Nico di Angelo had left them with nine. That was plenty of incentive for Clarisse La Rue to raise an army that would make Nico suffer. He would suffer like she had to; that was something she would make sure of.

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><p><strong>This is war! I hope you like it. Let me know what you think or what's on your mind. Ask a random question! Just let me know you're there and reading. Thank you!<strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	4. Fun

**This is a filler chapter... I had to get to this next part and the story and I left a lovely prize for you at the end!**

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><p>Jason, Piper, and Annabeth had been out, on their own, for a couple weeks time. It was clear there was nothing they could do outside of camp. They were traveling aimlessly trying to find some clues as to how to find and make their way into the Roman camp, but the only way to do that would be if Jason had all of his memories back which was not happening fast enough.<p>

Jason had the utter feeling he should be at camp. He was just starting to get more and more of his memory back and he felt as if the target on his back was growing. He also felt as if he should be helping Leo back at camp. There was so much stuff to do and they had so little time. Leo could use all the help he could get even if Jason could only tighten a few bolts; he would never understand the mechanics of it all.

Piper was stressing about everything. The only way they were able to get anything was if Piper was able to talk them out of her paying. Currently they were sitting in the back of a pickup truck as they made their way through Nevada. They had been staying there most of the time to keep from being found.

At night, they would spend time in their tents, but Piper didn't rest much at all. She couldn't fall asleep due to the fact that Annabeth was talking in her sleep. What really bothered Piper was that she didn't seem to be making random comments on a conversation she was having, she was speaking. She was having a conversation with someone and it was like Piper was listening from outside a phone call.

"Why can't you just leave and come back?" Annabeth had asked one night but she was out like a light. Piper knew it, so she sat and listened. Piper had been up reading a mythology book. She was doing research on the giants. The pages of her book had kept her entertained for such a long time she had missed the beginning of Annabeth's mumblings. "Leave the camp, and then you can tell us where it is."

The pause between the next words made her think that there was actually someone on the other side of her conversation. But, when she spoke again she seemed distraught. "I don't care if you just got your memories. I want you to figure it out and come back… We need you," Piper wanted to cry as she listened. "I need you."

Piper slid into her sleeping bag that night listening to Annabeth cry in her sleep. She felt like she was eavesdropping but she couldn't help it. She would feel tired in the morning but she couldn't bring herself to fall asleep.

The words she spoke made Piper miss the memories of her and Jason together that had begun to fade, though she couldn't seem to get their first kiss out of her head. There were so many details to that night she could remember so clearly. Annabeth had made it perfectly clear to Piper that they were not real. Piper didn't want to believe it though. She wanted that night back. She wanted it to be real.

They climbed out of the truck at a random point in the road where there was no sign of houses for miles. They were staying in the woods that lined Nevada and California. They set up the tents and set a fire fore the night. Annabeth was staying to herself as she flipped through a leather bound book that was written completely in Greek. Piper sat on the opposite side of the fire from her giving Annabeth her space while she read. Jason was up and moving as if he couldn't sit still. He had a dagger in his hand and was flipping the bronze continuously in his palm.

Piper got to her feet having watched him pass for the past hour and stopped him. Jason looked up at her as she took the dagger from his hand gently. Jason started to reach for his sword and Piper held up the dagger to him. "Leave it Jason," he took his hand away and she sighed taking his hand and pulling him from the fire side.

She waited for him to take a moment and then he reached for his sword and stopped Piper from grabbing his hand. He slid the sword from its sheath and dropped the blade on the ground and then took the dagger from Piper throwing down next to the sword. The two watched each other for a moment and Jason's eyes seemed to be alive as if with each memory that came back to him was a piece to the world that was being put back under his feet.

"I'm fine," Jason smiled at her holding out his hands to her. His constant fidgeting seemed to have stopped for the time being. "I'll stop with the blades and stuff. Promise," Jason whispered. His features were shadowed by the flickering fire next to Annabeth a little ways away.

"Good, you need to just relax some; we both need to." Piper admitted running her fingers through her hair nervously. Jason was watching her intently and his gentle stare made her cheeks burn with color that she hoped was hidden by the orange flickering light. Jason leaned toward her and Piper could feel her heart slamming against her chest and she feared he could hear it until he pulled away suddenly. Her heart dropped and she took a step back.

"Chiron, what's wrong?" Annabeth suddenly said and Piper turned away from Jason looking to where Annabeth was staring into an iris message. Chiron looked like he was shaken and couldn't figure out what exactly was going on. "Chiron?" Annabeth was leaning to the side as if she could see around him in the message to his surrounding.

"You need to head to Illinois and meet up with Leo and Clarisse," Chiron said monotonically. Piper came up behind Annabeth and was watching Chiron as intently as Annabeth was. Jason stood behind them all with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why Chiron? What's happened?" Annabeth demanded.

"You have three days," Chiron said those last four words and then wiped his hand through the message. The mist dissipated into the air and Annabeth stood up immediately grabbing her bag and shoving her book in it. She took a bucket of water we had ready for the night and dumped it over the fire. Piper and Jason moved out of the way of the smoke and steam and tried to get closer to Annabeth who seemed to have taken the energy of the Tasmanian Devil and was flying all over the place taking apart the camp.

"Annabeth, what are you doing?" Piper finally asked standing in front of Annabeth. Jason was standing close by as if he would be ready to stop Annabeth from killing the girl in front of her who had stopped her progress.

"You heard Chiron. We need to get to Illinois. We have to meet with Leo and Clarisse," Annabeth stood tall in front of Piper. She was trying to be bigger. It was just like if she were an animal. If she was bigger she was in charge. Hopefully, once she was in charge of Piper she would have rule over Jason as well but Piper wouldn't back down so easily.

"We have three days; we don't have to rush this much. We need good sleep and then we'll pack up and go." Piper tried to reason with her but Annabeth walked around her and started for the tent pulling out the sleeping bags and then knocking the tents down angrily. Piper grabbed her arm stopping her from yanking at the poles. "Annabeth, calm down. All we're doing is being recalled."

"We're not just being recalled. Do you know how many people have ever been recalled? Zero," Annabeth snapped turning on Piper and knocking her back. Jason stepped forward and Annabeth held up her hand. He froze immediately as if it were a glass wall as Annabeth looked at both of them. "We have been recalled because something happened, and I sure as hell am going to go back and handle whatever it is. I'm not going to sit around and do nothing pretending like we're on a quest.

"I'm tired of sitting around. Percy is gone; that's pretty damn certain for right now, and the gods are choosing to not help us so we have to figure this out. Now, you guys can figure out what you want to do, but I'm going home with or without you. I'm tired of sitting around and I'm going to start by going back and helping with that war ship because we will attack this Roman camp if I have to, but I will get what I want in the end. Understand that." Annabeth grabbed her bag and started to shove things into it endlessly.

Piper moved out of her way standing on the outside of the camp. Jason came toward her and Piper immediately moved away from him shaking her head. Jason couldn't seem to get his head out of the thought he had just almost kissed Piper and then had stopped himself. Reyna was lingering in the back of his mind. All the memories that were coming back made him think of her more but he still liked Piper. So when he got that close to actually kissing Piper he pulled away.

Piper looked at him waiting. She wanted her apology. She wanted him to say something, but when he only looked at his feet standing next to her she walked past him and started to pack up. Annabeth and Piper rolled up the sleeping bags and tents while Jason grabbed the miscellaneous items lying around the camp and shoving them into Piper's bag so that she had the lightest bag.

Silently, they packed up their things no one spoke anymore and then when it came time the hiked up to Reno where they caught a train that would take them all the way to Chicago. All they would have to do was sit and enjoy the ride. They sat in the car with booths. Annabeth and Piper were sitting together while Jason was strewn out across an empty booth falling asleep quickly.

Annabeth had picked up her book as soon as they were inside and started flipping through the pages to find her place. Piper set her bag on the ground and quietly looked forward at the seat in front of her. She looked at Jason every now and then and only felt anger. She couldn't stand that he seemed repulsed by her. He had pulled away as if she had smelled bad. Then Piper looked at Annabeth as she had paused on a page.

"Did you find something?" Piper wondered trying to look at the page though Greek seemed to still swirl in her head meaninglessly. She only understood bits and pieces unfortunately.

"Uh, yea…" Annabeth's voice seemed broken. "I was, um, looking for information on the last half-blood who helped the gods with the Giants and so I was looking at Herakles. I just ran across something I didn't expect." Annabeth started to close the book as Piper made out a few words: _son of Poseidon. _

"You talk about him, or to him, in your sleep," Piper looked at her hands in her lap not sure if she should admit that she had been listening. "I heard that demigods can form these telepathy links with people that they're close to, do you guys have one? Is he talking to you?" Piper wondered as she was truly curious.

"I wish. I would have some way to get to him then, but no. Those links are very hard to form and we never figured it out." Annabeth looked over at Piper and watched her as she kept looking at Jason and then at her hands. "They're only dreams. I wish they were more, but they aren't." Annabeth took a deep breath letting it fill her up until she sighed it all out her whole body seeming to deflate.

She would never admit that she was jealous of Piper. She hadn't lost anyone that she loved and she never had to worry about what went on with Olympus. To her, it was all still a fantasy other than the Giants. She had no idea of the actuality of it all. Annabeth wished she had the ignorance. On top of that, Annabeth felt like Piper had gotten the guy and Annabeth had had hers yanked away after all those years of being around him and he wouldn't even look at her with that want that she so obviously had for him. But, as she sat next to Piper on the train, she kept her poker face.

As Jason slept, he found he was thinking of Reyna again. Her dark almost black hair and her hazel-gold eyes that just made you think she was superior. He wanted to push her from his mind. He still didn't remember much of Reyna and he had Piper right there with him. He had held Piper when he saved her life. He had almost kissed her earlier, but he felt like that was wrong though he couldn't get past it. Both of them were stuck in his head and his mind was swirling which forced him to wake of from the ongoing nausea it caused him.

He sat up holding his head and looked around the car. Both, Annabeth and Piper, were passed out in different booths with jackets lain over them as blankets. Piper was obviously using her own while Annabeth had on a hoodie she was using to keep warm that was baggy on her and he figured it to be Percy especially because of the way it smelled like the beach.

The train stopped through Salt Lake City, Denver, and Omaha before it found Chicago. The whole train ride was a blur of napping and reading. They were trying to find out what was going on. Annabeth had even handed a Latin book to Jason at one point and ordered him to start reading to try and find some clues as to how they could hide a camp like they were.

When they did pull into Chicago, they were well rested and ready to find Clarisse. Annabeth pulled out a phone and Piper stopped her staring at her like she was crazy. "Didn't you say that's like sending up a flare to the monsters?"

"Yea," Annabeth rolled her eyes putting the phone away. "Fine, I'll IM Clarisse. We'll find a rendezvous point." Annabeth walked off flipping a golden drachma in between her fingers.

Jason and Piper were left alone in the train station while Annabeth disappeared into the near by bathroom. Jason was going to say something and Piper sighed as if his words that hadn't even come out yet were annoying her. He fell silent feeling like that awkward twelve year-old with his first crush.

"Piper," he finally got out her name, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that back there. It wasn't right to lead you on like that and then just bail." _Damn straight, _Piper thought in reaction immediately. "You're just…intimidating sometimes. You're so strong in everything you believe. That's why you cut your own hair and all that. I just, I got—,"

"Intimidated?" Piper guessed looking up at Jason with a cocked eyebrow. She butted shoulders with him and smiled feeling like she could relax now and stop being so mad at him. She just wanted to have Jason and not have to ignore him.

They had a light hearted conversation as Annabeth continued to stay gone. They were able to laugh and be normal for once calming themselves down. When Annabeth came out she grabbed them both by their backpacks and dragged them toward the doors of the train station. She looked even more tense than she had on the train and both, Jason and Piper, were perfectly quiet in fear of her as they climbed in a cab. She gave the address to where they were meeting Clarisse and Leo.

The care didn't seem to drive fast enough for Annabeth who was fidgeting and wringing her hands. Piper scooted away from her as much as possible so that she wasn't touching her but leaning against Jason. When Jason moved to get more comfortable in their close quarters, he accidently brushed Piper's leg and Piper's face began to burn red.

When they got to the address they all piled out. They stood in front of large stark white building that looked to be an art museum. Leo and Clarisse were waiting outside basking in the sun. Clarisse pushed off the wall when she saw Annabeth and immediately pulled her inside. Leo walked up to Piper and Jason looking at them sadly.

"Hey Leo, what's up with the recall? We don't understand." Piper asked hugging him tightly. She realized she had missed Leo no matter how annoying he was. He was like her stupid little brother that would scream at the top of his lungs, but then when the noise was gone she was lonely in its absence.

"I need to talk to you guys, let's head inside." Leo turned away from the both of them and they looked at each other in shock. This was not the Leo they were used to, so of course, they ran after him to get the answers they were so curious to find now.

After fifteen minutes of an explanation that seemed to last hours, Piper had to sit down. Jason crossed his arms over his chest shaking his head. He put a hand on Piper's shoulder letting her lean toward him for comfort. Leo sat down next to Piper patting her knee. Annabeth came and found them. Her eyes were red, but her face was stern. Clarisse was close behind her.

"We're going to get as far as we can from here today. We'll keep traveling until we make it back to camp," Annabeth informed everyone and they just nodded. Fear, pain, and anger mixed in a vicious brew that would carry them on their way back home. They could sleep when they were dead which might come sooner than any one of them wanted o expected.

So they carried on. For the rest of that day, they were walking and then were able to snag a short bus ride farther toward camp. The had only made it half way through Ohio at that point and were forced to camp for the night by Leo who had burned out his energy at Camp Half-Blood before leaving to find the other three. Clarisse and Leo were out in a matter of moments.

Sooner or later everyone else crawled into bed. They slept with what peace of mind they could muster. Piper didn't sleep. She listened to Annabeth talk in her sleep to this dream Percy she had. She listened to Annabeth cry as Annabeth told Percy what had happened to the camp, to their safe haven. Soon Piper was crying as well. Jason dreamt of Reyna and tried to push her from his mind once more then chose to ignore her altogether.

The next day they carried on. They doused the fire and left going toward Pennsylvania. The hiked the mountains trying to stay away from main roads. Clarisse had told Annabeth about how she thought that they wouldn't just take down the camps whoever had attacked, but they'd be looking for the rest of the half-bloods as well. Annabeth agreed and so they wasted time in the foothills.

They camped that night in the woods in a small clearing where they were able to see the stars. They had ditched their tents at the last campsite and simply slept under the sky. Jason, Leo, and Piper all slept with their heads near each others so that they could speak as the looked at the twinkling lights in the dark blue sky.

"I wonder if they ever listened before their voices disappeared." Leo had admitted as if he were ashamed to think so little of his father. Piper agreed almost immediately feeling as if she too had been ignored by her godly parent her whole life.

"They listen," Jason assured them and reached for Piper's hand where he twined their fingers together like they had been when he had woken up on the bus. "They listen. They reward a hero. They're up there."

"But, they aren't there for us now, and now is when we need them…" Piper muttered and squeezed Jason's hand.

"Hera was there wasn't she?" Jason pointed out and Leo scoffed at him.

"She was there because she got kidnapped and needed us to save her." Leo realized that seemed to hurt Jason and immediately fell silent. Jason was supposed to be Hera's hero and no matter what people thought of Hera, Jason liked the sound of a goddess needing him.

No one said much after that. Annabeth could not be heard for the night and Piper was able to sleep. Leo was out soon too along with Jason and Clarisse. The quiet of night was peaceful and they all lost track of their surroundings in their dreams.

In the middle of the night, a girl snuck into the clearing. The smoldering flames barely lit her features though that wouldn't do much good to make out who she was. Her features were continuing to change at a rapid pace. She never stayed the same and a boy followed behind her. He had dark hair and dark eyes. A skull ring was place on his hand that was rest on the hilt of his Stygian iron blade. His eyes were glazed over as if he was only seeing what he wanted and nothing else.

"Nico," the girl hissed, "kill the fire. We'll greet our friends with darkness." She walked up to the boy and kissed Nico gently. Immediately, he put out the fire and the camp was taken down by the shadows of the trees. The siren picked the minds of the new pawns in the game. Enkelados had been right when he sent her here…this would be fun.

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><p><strong>It's a cliffhanger!<strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	5. Funeral Procession

**I'm finally getting a chapter in at a decent time of day. It's fantastic. Read on. **

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><p>Annabeth felt something brush her foot while she was asleep and immediately stirred looking up at whoever was standing. Nico di Angelo was looming around the camp and Annabeth scrambled to her feet drawing her dagger. She kicked Clarisse who stirred slowly but eventually came to her wits. Nico drew his sword standing in front of them. The blade threatened them, almost daring them to attempt to attack him.<p>

"Nico, where have you been?" Annabeth demanded stopping Clarisse from lunging at him. It was clear that the fight would not be won if it came down to it. So, she would get some answers if she could. He shouldn't have been around at all. He had been out in the West looking for Percy, apparently with no prevail.

"Don't speak with them, Nico. You're higher than that. You're with me," Annabeth's head snapped to the side looking at the girl that seemed to be constantly changing. Her mind raced as she tried to figure it out. She couldn't decide if the girl had light or dark hair, or if she was tall or short. She couldn't even fathom the thought of the undertone of her skin. One thing was clear though: her eyes were black holes. Nico didn't seem to notice though. Immediately, she went through her database of monsters she had in her memory.

"You're a siren," Piper said out of the blue. Annabeth looked at Piper incredulously as she stood among the two guys. Jason was standing in front of her protectively. Leo didn't have a weapon, but they all knew that wouldn't be a problem if it came down to a fight. "Jason, get behind me." He was about to protest but Piper grabbed his arm and shoved him behind her. "Just listen to me. Leo, you too. Don't get too close."

"Smart girl, you've been doing your homework." The siren chuckled as she walked around. Though Piper had so clearly pointed it out, Nico didn't seem to register that the girl he was drooling over was a monster. He still had his sword drawn and looked as if he was ready to strike at Annabeth. "But, I don't think your friends understand yet.

"Leo, is it?" The siren asked focusing on Leo with her black eyes but they spiraled into a lightening blue that reminded Piper of Jason's eyes. But, then the siren's hair tumbled out as a beautiful chopped up hair. It was as black as a night sky with no stars and was gorgeous. A silver circlet appeared on her head and she was wearing silver camouflage with a silver cloak. "If you ask me Leo, she's a little too butch."

"Shut-up you bitch!" Leo moved forward toward the figure of Thalia Grace while Jason just stared. Piper had an arm out and spoke quietly under her breath to Leo who finally let it go and stepped back behind Piper. Leo turned to Jason apologizing for the figure that the siren had turned into. Leo would've never done something with Jason's sister if he didn't approve, but Jason just looked flabbergasted.

"Oh no Leo, it's okay I'm sure. Jason here can't even be true to his little girlfriend. What have you been seeing in your dreams?" The siren was now focusing on Jason and Piper had a death grip on his arm as if she could protect him from having his mind sifted through. "Nico, would you be a dear and moved our other friends here?" the siren turned to Nico changing into a petite form. Nico nodded as if he were in a dream and grabbed Piper and Leo.

Piper clawed at Nico as she was dragged away. Leo let himself get dragged and calmed Piper down as soon as they were off to the side. He had an arm around Piper trying to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Nico had all of them cornered swinging his blade menacingly at the four while the siren focused on Jason when Nico wasn't watching.

"So Jason, son of Jupiter, you have another girl in your mind? What about your girl: Piper?" The siren circled around Jason like a vulture and he just stood there like he couldn't bring himself to move. He knew his attempts would only cause disaster. All of his friends were under threat of a swordsman and he wouldn't take those chances if they weren't necessary. As far as he was convinced, there was no immediate threat to himself at this point. "So, maybe you should choose now." The siren stood in front of him and smirked at him still in the form of the girl that appealed to Nico: Cara.

Slowly, she began to shift and she became Piper standing in front of him. The real piper smiled off to the side liking the fact that she was able to pull her from Jason's thoughts. "Obviously your little toy here is on your mind, but what about this girl?" Her eyes spiraled into the golden hazel color and her hair started to tumble in a dark deep color that was brown but almost black.

Piper's face fell. She knew it had all been too good to believe. The girl that was now standing in front of Jason made him take a step forward toward the siren. He reached out to her mindlessly allowing his hand to brush her cheek. "Reyna…" he whispered her name brushing off his lips gently. The siren moved closer to him allowing him to close in on her. Jason scaled her body with eyes letting them drink in the soft curves of her body. When he met her eyes though he couldn't help but to move closer.

"Nico, Nico, it's me. It's Annabeth," Annabeth stood in front of the dark haired boy. She moved the collar to her shirt pulling a necklace from where it was hidden. She showed the necklace of beads to him along with a class ring that was her father's and a wooden circle of a pendent that had a trident burned into it. Nico looked confused at first shaking his head.

"We all came from camp," Clarisse inserted pulling out her spear letting it spark to life. "The camp you destroyed," she spat and shoved the spear toward his face. He back up and smelt his eyebrows burning. "You slaughtered us Nico. If you don't snap out of it now I, sure as hell, will slaughter you." Annabeth held out a hand to Clarisse and their convincing Nico that they were his friends began.

Piper moved around Nico quietly as they started to argue about whether or not Nico should be blamed for it. Nico just held his head as if he had a terrible migraine. She snuck towards them as Jason seemed to have a reunion with this girl he had lost. He slowly started to lean towards her and Piper ran for them charging at the siren. As Jason's lips met Reyna's Piper leapt at her tackling the siren full on.

The two girls tumbled to the ground hitting and scratching. Piper finally got the siren pinned to the ground and reared back punching her in the nose angrily. The siren hissed angrily grabbing Piper's shoulders and throwing her to the ground. She got to her feet standing over Piper. "Your little boyfriend has already fallen. There's a reason I move fast." Siren growled kicking Piper in the stomach. Piper groaned in pain and got onto all fours crawling desperately to get away or at least have enough distance from the monster and time to get to her feet. She headed toward Jason hoping he would snap out of it, but he just looked dazed.

The siren grabbed Piper's hair yanking her back. Piper screamed reaching for the siren's hand trying to get her to let go. The siren drew Jason's sword from his side twisting the blade in her hand as she shoved Piper down to the ground. Piper landed on her stomach as if she were going to try and crawl again but the siren planted her foot in Piper's back and swung the sword right next to Piper's neck where a few hair were cut off by the sharp blade.

Piper laid her head down on the ground tears streaming down her face. The siren brought the sword up letting it weight carry down the blade toward Piper's head. "The Purge has begun," the siren growled and then cried out. The hairs on the Piper's arms stood up as the air crackled with electricity. The weight left Piper's back and the siren fell down next to her. Piper scrambled to her feet and away from the body.

The siren's body was still convulsing and Clarisse was just smiling twirling the spear in her hand happily. Annabeth had a hold on Nico who was trying to get to the siren lying on the ground. Annabeth actually had a hold on the both Nico and Jason by the backs of their shirts. Leo made sure Piper was out of the way hugging her while Clarisse stepped forward sending more electricity from her spear tip to the body of the siren.

"Clarisse, please get out of the way," Leo said trying to stop Piper's shaking. "Help Annabeth," his voice came out husky and rough with the orders. Clarisse rolled her eyes and swung her spear at the two boys making sure they stayed put. Leo put a hand out in front of him the other arm still around Piper. Fire ignited in his palm and he threw it toward the siren's body. But just before the flames could reach her, the body vanished.

Piper watched in shock not sure what to do. Clarisse and Annabeth let go of the two guys who looked around frantically for her. Leo just stood there. He shook his head and then grabbed his backpack pulling out two strands of chains. He walked up to Jason wrapping the chains tightly around his wrists. Then Leo snapped his fingers watched as his thumb became the equivalent of a welding torch that he used to bind the chains. He did the same to Nico and sighed looking around at everyone.

"Let's go," Leo finally said while everyone still seemed to be shocked that the monster had gotten away. "Forget it you guys. We'll get back to camp. We'll get these two guys some help and then the next time that monster shows her face we'll show her who's boss." Leo encouraged grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "We still have to go through the rest of Pennsylvania. Then we'll almost be home."

"Let's go boys," Clarisse urged shoving Jason and Nico on their way to keep walking. Annabeth walked back to Piper putting a hand on her shoulder and helped her start walking. They walked toward Manhattan with Annabeth and Piper talking in the back discussing mythology. Jason and Nico were being led by Clarisse who was happy to prick Nico in the back every now and then. Leo was walking in the front messing with the cogs in his pockets.

Annabeth and Piper discussed the different possibilities of the Seven and ways to find the siren that had just gotten away. With the two boys she had planned to use going back to camp, she would need new minions to help her do whatever job it was. The only problem with finding hints about the venom of sirens was that none of the historians had focused on any of the sirens outside of the ones that were involved in the story of Persephone which only applied to the ones in the Sea of Monsters.

By the time they were back at camp, they still had no idea how to get Jason and Nico out of the haze they were stuck in. Chiron welcomed back Annabeth with open arms and they were met with aftermath of the massacre. No one was walking around. The volleyball courts were empty along with the arts and crafts area. Beyond that, the cabins looked utterly deserted.

"Clarisse, where are you going?" Chiron demanded trotting after the Ares girl quickly.

"I'm putting these two guys in rehab since our genius department hasn't figured out how to get their heads straight." When Chiron looked at Clarisse confused she huffed in annoyance. "I'm locking them in the Arena." She smirked with the thought of the two being enclosed. "I'll post an Out of Order sign on the outside, don't worry."

A meeting was called and by the time Clarisse got back all eleven people were already seated. The three that Leo and Clarisse had pulled from the Athena shed were seated looking around at the group of people and then at each other as if they were scared. Annabeth sat down at the head of the table while Chiron sat at the other end. Annabeth had her dagger out and was repeatedly throwing the dagger at the table and then pulling it out leaving divots in the table.

"Chiron, have you started calling people in?" Clarisse asked as she walked in taking her seat next to Annabeth who was still quiet.

"Yes, but we still have some people out," Chiron explained. "The others are coming in ASAP but until they start arriving we have time to make this camp look like it used to. We're also taking out the tree at the top of the hill once a Demeter child shows up."

"Who is still deployed out there?" Ryan demanded looking at Chiron as if he were crazy.

"Well the only people we're keeping out are Tyson, Grover, and the Huntresses. Nico had come back earlier because he searched the whole West coastline. Everyone else is out looking for Percy." With Chiron's explanation everyone looked at Annabeth. The constant thump of the dagger's blade lodging into the wood had stopped and she was looking up at Chiron.

Suddenly, this wasn't a camp meeting. This was Annabeth's choice. Everyone expected her to have them stay out. They would be constantly moving as it was, but now they were being hunted. Annabeth's mind cranked trying to figure between her personal wants and need and the wellbeing of the camp's inhabitants.

"Call them in," Annabeth slid her dagger into the sheath and sat up and forward finally taking part in the meeting. "We can't lose anymore here, and if Percy is really at that Roman camp, I'm sure he's fine." Annabeth stood up and looked at everyone at the table. "We have work to do," she said in a monotonic tone. "What are you guys doing? Get up! Get out!"

Everyone hurriedly got to their feet and headed out of the game room to work on the things around camp that needed to be done. Annabeth walked from the Big House walking up to Half-Blood Hill while Chiron made the iris messages to the last of the people that needed to be called in. Annabeth went up to Thalia's tree where its charred remains were still standing. Peleus had been removed so now it was only the tree. It stood alone in its destroyed manner where it once had stood as a sign of peace and safety.

As she leaned against the blackened trunk she looked outside of the borders where everything seemed to be normal. She couldn't even bring herself to cry anymore. Her eyes seemed too dry to produce tears and all she could do was stand there. A white van pulled up and a group of campers piled out running up to the camp towards where Annabeth was. The campers greeted her with mournful expressions and then moved into the valley that was the camp. The realization hit Annabeth when they looked as if they were at a funeral procession saying goodbye to their loved ones as they held hands or hugged each other.

This would change everything.

Camp would never be what it used to. Where it had stood as a save haven was gone. The only thing that had burned in honor of the gods in the last week had been bodies and they still seemed to be burning. The shield that protected the camp from weather and monsters held in the awful smell of their friends and their siblings that had been burned. No one would use the dining pavilion anymore. Annabeth was almost sure the kids there hadn't eaten anything in a long while. She didn't blame them; it would all make her sick to her stomach.

One girl walked up to her and greeted her with a firm hand shake. "This camp has suffered enough. We all just wish it would stop, but it doesn't look like it; does it?" The girl was a daughter of Demeter and Annabeth could see the sadness in her eyes. It seemed to drown her features but she looked strong as if she had decided to stop crying a long while ago. It felt, to Annabeth, as if she was looking through her to the tree. "I don't feel right taking down the tree. It's been here my whole camp life."

"I know what you mean, but there's no way of bring it back now. It doesn't make sense to keep that just to remind people how much this attack cost us." Annabeth explained leaning carefully on the tree. She was afraid if she put too much weight on the trunk it would disintegrate to the ash it looked like and leave her on her butt.

"It doesn't make any sense though. If we had the Golden Fleece hanging there why didn't it heal it as it burned?" The Demeter girl shrugged and walked down into the valley joining the van of people she had arrived with as they toured the empty grounds. The girls were crying and the guys were looking at the grounds through new eyes as if they had never seen it before. No one wanted to believe it was all gone.

Annabeth looked up at the tree just looking at the remains. The skeleton of branches had once held luscious needles. She had taken advantage of their camp her whole life, and now that it was torn away she didn't feel the same. Then she rethought what the Demeter kid had said. She turned away from the tree sprinting for the Big House where Chiron was. She flew inside running up to Chiron where he was talking to Thalia on an IM.

"Annabeth—," Thalia tried to speak but Annabeth was already talking.

"Chiron we can't take down the tree. We need to find this siren." Annabeth spilled out all her words and Thalia just looked at her perplexed.

"Wait," Thalia tried to cut in, "what happened to the tr—,"

"How would finding this creature save the tree? It's been burned." Chiron was trying to reason with her and Annabeth just waved her hands at him stopping him. She seemed frantic and Chiron fell silent waiting her explanation.

"The thing took the Golden Fleece. We can save the tree!" Annabeth said excitedly. When Chiron was about to speak up against her she stopped him again. "That tree is a symbol of this camp and if we can save it, we will. I'm not going to lose everything. I can at least have this."

"We'll help you," Annabeth looked over to Thalia who had just spoken and was smiling. "We'll be there in a few days. We'll see you then."

Annabeth nodded smiling at her best friends. "I'll see you then."

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><p><strong>Tada! There is hope after all! <strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	6. Chance of Hope

**Wow, I'm a bit late aren't I? But better late than never right? Hey! And it's Sunday. People are always on fanfiction on Sunday. This is great. I hope y'all enjoy. **

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><p>The air swirled around Nico as he looked around the arena. A blonde haired boy was sitting in the stands of the arena flipping a coin over and over letting it change from weapon to coin to weapon. Sometimes the weapon would change. It was driving Nico insane. The constant movement only seemed to bother him though. The blonde hair boy just watched it.<p>

"Where is she?" Nico yelled to the boy who didn't even look at him. "Where did you send her?" He screamed angrily hating that he was being so plainly ignored by the boy who was sitting as if he were the king of Zeus's Fist. Nico's eyes danced with fire as he walked toward the stands.

Suddenly, the boy was on his feet with a sword in hand. The golden glint that reflected off the sun made a light shine on Nico's forehead. "Come any closer and I sure as Pluto won't miss. My sword knows exactly who it would love to kill," the boy growled. He seemed completely in control, the complete opposite of what Nico felt.

Nico felt as if he couldn't contain his anger. What ever had happened made him feel uncontrollable and he only felt better around Cara. But, she was gone. His hands were shaking and he couldn't seem to consciously stop them. They only did when the blonde haired boy set the tip of his blade under Nico's chin letting its sharp edge draw a drop of blood.

"It'll wear off eventually," the boy decided and shoved Nico back with a foot to the chest from where he was on higher ground. Nico stumbled back and fell down holding his head glaring at the boy. "They're not going to let us out until you get your head straight."

"There is nothing wrong with my head! Who do you think you are?" Nico demanded getting to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest. The anger that he felt for this guy increased magnifying to a point where he drew his sword. The black blade glinted in the sun and the fear spiked in the boys eyes for a moment. That made a smile grown on Nico as he found his ability to scare him. But that fear only lasted a moment.

"I'm Jason Grace, now stand down," Jason said angrily moving the coin between his fingers threateningly though Nico didn't seem to notice. "Put down your weapon Nico. You may be bat shit crazy right now, but I will strike you down if you threaten my life."

Nico scoffed, "I doubt you would. You're probably a child of some minor god. I'm a son of Hades. I could take you down right now with no regrets."

The golden coin flew into the air. As it flipped Nico turned to watch it in confusion. As it spun it seemed to change and suddenly it was a lance in his hand. He pointed it the sky and the air crackled before lighting shot down hitting right next to them. Nico stepped back from it in a sudden fear of losing his life. Jason lowered his lanced letting it fly into the air with a simple flip. It landed in his hand as a coin and he turned it in his palm quietly smiling at Nico with cocky glory.

"I said stand down," Jason repeated his words and then went back to where had had been comfortably sitting in the stands. Nico moved across the arena sitting on the practicing floor. In a mindless need for something to do he picked up the old blades and sharpened them for no real reason. The first day ended in a blur where lines had been drawn and neither of the boys said much else. Anything they said was not said to each other.

The days passed and Jason was becoming more and more convinced that Nico wasn't going to recover. He was only getting crazier. He wasn't sure how long Nico had been gone or how much the siren had focused on him to get the venom in him, but Nico seemed to only stay in the haze with no prevail. On top of that, he couldn't remember the days. Nico seemed to forget every day that passed like it never happened. The only thing he remembered was that the siren was gone, Jason came to call her Cara since that was the only name he ever heard Nico saying.

No one had come in or out of the arena in days. Which meant Jason was starving. Nico looked like he hadn't been eating at all before he came into the arena so he didn't seem to mind. Jason thought he was insane so he thought it really didn't make a difference anyways.

After the third day there wasn't any progress. Nico still sat in the same spot. He mumbled quietly to himself about Cara and how she would come for him. She would save him. He was so convinced. That third night he started having dreams about her though. She was in his dreams as the petite little girl Cara and she was tied up sitting in front of a giant known as Enkelados. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was cut up and bruised.

Nico woke up grabbing his sword and looked up at the guy in the stands that was passed out on the benches. Nico turned away from him and headed toward the darkest parts of the shadows that were lurking in the corners of the arena. He melted away like ash into the shadows blowing away like dust in the wind until he was completely gone.

The night slept quietly with no disturbance around Jason as he rested. When the sun began to rise he stirred slowly awake. Jason looked around the arena stretching and then did a double take. Nico was gone.

Jason got up and ran for the entrance of the arena which was blocked off by a large castle door. It was accented with intricate metal designs of tree branches that covered the door. On the side Jason was standing, those doors were open. But, what was holding him in was more metal work that looked like trees and their trunks along with the branches across the top that acted as bars.

"Clarisse!" He screamed seeing the redhead crossing the grounds. She turned his way glaring at him angrily as if he had done something wrong. Jason didn't remember doing anything wrong to her. "Clarisse! Nico is gone! You have to let me out. We have to go after him!"

"Hah! You're funny Airhead. Fat chance of me letting you out." Clarisse chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest. "At this point, Piper wouldn't even let you out. Now, I have to go get ready to find this crazy bitch and slay her—,"

"Nico went after the siren. He melted through the walls or something. But, he's gone. You have to let me out." Jason informed her.

"You don't seem to understand Airhead. You screwed up. You were going to let that siren kill Piper and when she pulled a chick out of your head to throw you for a loop, it wasn't Piper. It was some other chick. You were going to let your girl get killed. You screwed up, you're not coming out." Clarisse rolled her eyes and turned to walk away.

Jason had almost let Piper get killed? He didn't remember that at all. The last thing he could remember before waking up in the Arena was falling asleep holding Piper's hand. He couldn't remember when he woke up between there and the Arena. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew he had those memories of that night when the siren had shown up, but that was where the venom was. If he went into those memories he would disappear into those clouds, that haze. He would have to remember not to go back to it until it faded, for good.

"Clarisse, if you don't let me out. I'll get out by myself." Jason warned knowing he needed to find Nico. On top of that, he needed to talk to Piper. The only way that would happen is if he was able to get close enough.

The last time she had been really mad at him she had convinced him she had a deadly disease that only he could catch. He didn't come within ten feet the whole time he was under her charm speak. It had taken two weeks for him to get out of it. He needed to talk to her soon or suffer the consequences.

"I'd like to see you try Airhead." Clarisse chuckled until he stepped back from the gate. He stepped to the center of the Arena and Clarisse watched in disbelief. He closed his eyes for a short moment and slowly his feet came off the ground. As he got the higher the currents became stronger beneath his feet and he was able to push himself over the wall of the Arena. He tried to set himself down slowly all the way to the ground, but once he got four feet from the ground he lost control and tumbled to the ground right in front of Clarisse.

Clarisse looked at him in utter shock as he got to his feet. He gave her a two finger salute and then ran for the cabins. His feet carried him to the Aphrodite cabin where he threw open the door, but no one was in there. He groaned in frustration and turned every which way discovering that all the cabins looked deserted. Then he looked up at the Big House that was just across the creek that ran through the lake.

It was the only thing that looked alive besides the stables. Jason looked around at the whole camp then. There was no one. It was all completely empty except for the Big House which had people bustling around it as if they were too scared to face the rest of the camp. Jason carefully took a few steps toward the Big House as if he couldn't decide if he had the nerve anymore. But, once he forced himself to take a few more he walked forward toward the four story building faking the confidence he was expressing.

As soon as his foot creaked against the first step onto the porch the girls sitting at the card table looked up glaring at him. He looked around at the porch and his breath caught at the two girls who were talking at the very end leaning against the cracked railing. Thalia Grace and Annabeth Chase were talking with stern faces. Thalia was dressed in all Huntress attire and had her arms tightly crossed over her chest mirroring Annabeth.

Jason had to almost tell himself to keep walking or else he would have just stood with one foot on the porch and the other in the mud. He pulled his foot out and went into the house pushing open the white door to go into the living room. Chiron was already waiting there with Clarisse at his side smirking.

"I said I'd like to see you try. I didn't say you'd get very far afterward." She smirked and lifted her head to look at Chiron who only seemed to be studying him. His eyes scanned Jason's face especially his eyes. "Chiron, let's throw him back in the brig! Throw him in the basement or something!"

Chiron took a few more moments until he shook his head. "Clarisse says you said Nico is gone. How did he get out? I'm sure he couldn't fly over the walls like you could." Chiron asked his hands relaxing as he realized Jason neither looked dazed or angry. He looked scared under the centaurs close watch, which what should have been. It was certain respect for him that he wouldn't have had if he was in the Big House under orders of the siren.

"I'm not sure Sir. I was sleeping actually, but when I woke up he was gone. Like he walked through the walls," Jason explained straightening out and looking up at the massive horse figure. "I swear Sir, I have no intention of hurting anyone here. I don't know what happened that night exactly, but I'm here to talk to Piper."

"Oh child, you can try, I believe she is below under the Hephaestus cabin. She is sharing quarters with Nyssa. Leo wanted to keep an eye on her. She is not well. She is actually quite out of control with her emotions." Chiron moved away hitting Clarisse in the face with his tail. Jason would have laughed on a normal basis, but now he couldn't even bring a chuckle.

Chiron led Jason back to the stair case that led up into the second floor. Confusion crossed his mind searching back through the conversation having remembered the word _below _being in the conversation. "Seymour, if you would please?" The stuffed cheetah nodded with a smile that made Jason's skin crawl.

The stairs that they had been facing made a pop and then the slow release of air like when a bus stopped. The first step they would have stepped up to slid down to floor level and then below that. Each stepped followed until the stairs led the opposite direction of what they had just been. Chiron trotted down the steps into an underground chasm that looked to be just a room. Jason started to worry as they vanished into the darkness.

"Chiron… What is this?" Jason whispered. In his head, he was sure Chiron had changed his mind. Chiron was going to trot back up those stairs and leave him down there by himself to rot into a skeleton.

"I'm going to go back upstairs. You wait her until the stairs close back up. Then, you follow the torches." Chiron explained and then quickly went up the stairs. They started to close and Jason felt his claustrophobia coming in. He needed the open space. Jupiter was god of the skies and he needed that, the open space of the skies. All the space was disappearing with the steps moving.

The light soon disappeared and as the stairs continued to shut it sealed off. The whir of the pistons that were used to power the stairs stopped and that's when they lit. All along the walls orange flames burst on the torches around the room. Between the rods holding up the stairs it was a clear path that led straight into a hall lit by the orange flames. With careful steps, Jason walked into it.

After stumbling around for quite some time, he found the rooms where the Hephaestus children were staying. Each door was marked with the name of the person that was staying in it, and once Jason found the one with _Nyssa_ carved into it he knocked on the door. The door creaked open and a girl with a red bandana and shorts and a tank top on answered the door.

"Jason, I don't think you should be here," Nyssa said rubbing the back of her neck as if she were either nervous or tired.

"I need to talk to Piper," suddenly Piper was there. She had opened the door the rest of the way and was standing slightly behind Nyssa before stepping out for Jason to see her. She crossed her arms over her chest glaring at him. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying but she didn't seem to be shaken up now. She just looked mad. "Piper,"

"You said you needed to talk. Now talk," Piper said angrily not moving to join Jason in the hall or to invite him. Nyssa awkwardly moved out of sight into the room more and Piper stayed there. One of her feet was propping open the door and she just looked all around pissed off. It made Jason want to back track and say he would come back another day, but he needed to do this.

"I don't know what happened that night, but I bet you probably saved my life," Jason began trying to look as open as possible. "I don't remember anything that happened after we fell asleep holding hands. I want you to know that I would never let anything happen to you." Jason stepped forward with his hands out, and palms facing her showing her that he was vulnerable.

"But you did. Jason, you say that, but she kissed you once and you almost let me get killed. She was going to kill me with your sword," Piper looked at him slightly shaking her head as if all the trust that she had given him had been flushed away by the tears that were collecting on her eyes. "She showed a girl named Reyna and immediately you gave in to her. I did my research on the power of sirens when we got back here."

"It said they were strong. Siren's can lure you in and then you can't get out." Jason recalled from his own studies, but Piper's face just continued to fall.

"Their venom is strong and they can read your thoughts. But, until that venom gets into your system you have complete and utter freewill. To be frank, you chose her over me after you knew she was siren, but you wanted her. You wanted her a hell-of-a-lot more than you could ever want me." Piper's eyes were dull and her hurt seemed to radiate off her making Jason feel slow and sick. The feeling of betrayal to so many people churned in his stomach and he couldn't seem to pass it. "So, you can hang around until we find your camp and you can go home. I'll even go on the same quests with you. I'll give you help when you need it, and I'll give you kindness. But, I can never give you forgiveness."

"Piper—,"

"Go away Jason," Piper closed the door and it seemed to seal itself into place right in front of him. He stared at the door in front of him not sure if his legs would be able to support him if he took a step. On the other side of the door, Piper had her back on the door where she had sunk to the ground in tears. Nyssa was sitting at a work desk across the room and ignored her knowing that comforting was the farthest thing from what Piper wanted. Piper wanted her Jason back, the one from her foggy memories that she knew were fake.

Jason turned from the door and came face to face with Leo who just frowned at him with all the disappointment that Piper had already dumped on his shoulders. Leo patted his best friends shoulder and told him to follow him to his room. The two guys walked farther up the hall to a door the had the name Beckendorf stenciled onto it. Jason didn't even notice the name before they walked into the room.

All around the room there were scattered work benches. A lonely bed sat off to the side away from a platform where it had so obviously sat before. The platform was now empty as if it were only used at the one clean spot in the room. There were little robots that seemed happy to have life as they scurried around. There was one that was sitting on top of a stack of CDs with a bow and arrow where he shot a passing fly out of the air. It seemed like a whole robotic community within the piles of junk.

Leo handed Jason a soda and a bag of chips and pointed to the bed. "Relax Man, I gotta get some work done and then we have a meeting to get to at the Big House." Leo sat down in front of a set of blueprints where he shifted through the papers as if he wasn't sure what exactly he would start on at that moment. A knock came on the door and Leo sighed hitting a button on the underside of his desk that made the exposed cogs on the door turn causing the door to unlock itself it swung open slowly and a girl walked in.

Jason watched the girl in shock slightly as she crossed the room. It was Annabeth Chase. She walked up to Leo and set down a roll of blueprints. "These are the ones you should be focusing on Leo. You can't keep pretending that life can wait for them to come back from the dead." Annabeth frowned putting a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"I know Annabeth. But, it's just me and Nyssa. I'm not even sure how much we can get done. We were given six months and our first one is already out the window." Leo opened the roll and looked at the ship they were supposed to be building. "These six months were never supposed to be easy though, were they?"

"No, but we didn't expect them to be this bad either," Thalia said as she walked into the room. Jason got to his feet and walked to Thalia hugging her. "Are you okay?" Thalia asked Jason quickly.

"I'm fine now. I'm just missing a night of information." Jason informed her shrugging.

"You were never really complete when it came to your memory now were you? It shouldn't be that big a deal to you." Thalia chuckled patting his head.

"Thanks for caring Thals," Jason rolled his eyes and then made his way back to Leo bed grabbing his soda and taking a glug of it. He took another handful of chips and then ate them one by one out of his hand. He spent as much time as possible eating each chip as if it would be his last chip ever.

"Wait," Annabeth whispered to Leo sinking down next to him as if they were discussing plans when Thalia head their way. "If he doesn't have memory of that night then he doesn't remember the siren become Thalia in front of you." Annabeth laughed quietly to herself as Thalia came closer and closer to them.

"If you remind him I'll roast you alive and I don't mean making fun of you," Leo grumbled as Thalia came up on his other side. He opened the blue prints and Thalia's eyes lit up. "What's up?" Leo asked turned to her as she looked over the plans with visible excitement.

"This looks like it's going to be fun. I mean look at it all. It's built for war. The Huntresses and I, we want in. We're going to help you build it." Thalia touched the blue prints and visibly smiled showing her teeth. "I'm so not missing out on this. We'll meet you and Nyssa at Bunker Nine right after dinner." Thalia ruffled Leo hair and then turned away heading for the door.

"Welcome to the Friend Zone," Annabeth whispered to Leo and then walked after Thalia quickly before Leo could take a swing at her. Leo sunk down into his chair covering his face with his hands and sighing. Annabeth was going to pick on him till she drove him insane. With all the pressure he was feeling, he knew it would be a short drive.

Jason wasn't even paying attention to Leo. He was caught up in this giant chasm Leo called a room. All along the walls there white boards and chalkboards with scribbled words all along them. One chalkboard stood out among the rest. It had a poem that was written down the center of it in cursive. It was most definitely girl's handwriting; Jason could tell.

"Leo, what's that?" Jason pointed to the chalk board that was hung over the desk just over Leo's head.

The cursive seemed so out of place amongst the chicken scratch that Leo didn't even have to look away, but he knew what Jason was talking about. "A prophecy, a smaller one, but a prophecy none the less. It's about whatever is going on."

Jason just looked at it for a moment and scrunched his eyebrows together. "I can't read the cursive," Jason said in frustration as he stared at the loopy lettering that was done in a fading chalk.

"Heroes must see beyond the daze

Blinded by a gorgeous haze

A call through darkness,

Trumpets of Urge

On the rise,

A heroes' purge,"

Jason gawked at Leo who still hadn't looked up from the blueprints. He had memorized it completely. "Have you guys tried to decipher it?" Jason asked as he continued to stare at the words as if they would make sense eventually.

"I haven't told anyone about it." Leo spun around in his chair looking at Jason with a frown. "Rachel doesn't even remember that she said it. She left it to me to figure out. This quest to catch this siren is mine and I'll let everyone know when the time is right," Leo turned away for a few more moments rolling up blue prints and snapping a rubber band around the hefty roll before standing up with the roll in hand and heading for the door. "Come on, we need to get to a meeting."

Jason followed Leo out of the room. With one last look at the prophecy posted on the wall he closed the door behind him.

At the meeting everyone was starting to argue. No one was getting anything done. Though the grounds were clean and everything seemed fine there was still charred remains of a tree on top of Half-Blood Hill. At this point, the only people fighting for it were Thalia, Annabeth, and the few Demeter girls that were there.

"We catch this monster and we get the Golden Fleece, we need to wait before we tear it down." Annabeth slammed her hand on the table and everyone jumped except for Ryan who was just gawking at her like she was some idiot who had just walked into the camp.

"We don't need the other campers to have to walk into all of this. That tree is something that had been protection for years and years. Seeing it burned at the crest of our camp will lower their spirits faster than you can stab someone," Ryan scoffed at her reason and Thalia pushed Annabeth into her seat before she stood.

"Their spirits would be dumped just as far if it was gone." Everyone's arguing died. The Huntresses that were scattered around the room stopped giving evil glares to the guys and were focusing on Thalia. "All this stuff that is happening is an obstacle. And those kids that haven't seen it yet are going to live with it at some point. They will come face to face with it. This is happening everywhere." Thalia grabbed the remote and flipped on a TV that was mounted on the wall. The news automatically came up and the bar at the bottom was scrolling names of teens that had been murdered all across the states. Everyone, except for the people at Camp Half-Blood, couldn't find the connection between all of the kids. The only thing that seemed to fit is that most only had one biological parent around. Some had none.

"They're dying everywhere," Clarisse said in disbelief staring at the screen in shock. "They didn't intend on just killing the kids at camp, did they?" Clarisse turned to Thalia and Thalia shook her head sadly to her. "The tree stays. Most of the kids are arriving tomorrow and that tree will be there because it has always been a sign of safety and a sign of hope. If we can find the Fleece and bring it back, then all the kids here will know that there is still a chance."

"I'm taking a group out," everyone's head snapped to where Leo was sitting. He had been silent this whole time until now. "Clarisse, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason," Piper looked over at Jason and just glared for a moment before turning to look at Leo just past him, "I want you guys to come with me. We're going to hunt the siren and we're going to bring back the Golden Fleece."

"That's more than three," Ryan spat and everyone started to murmur about the last time someone had taken more than three people on a quest.

"I'm well aware of the stories about the last quest that happened with more than three people and I'm not going to let it affect me. If two of you would like to back out then go ahead, but I don't think this quest stuff should come in the way anymore." Leo turned on Ryan and challenged him to say something. Leo's eyes were lit like smoldering coals and no one would want to stand up to him at this point.

"We're back at war," Annabeth stood and the room was already dead silent. "When the war began the first time we opened our borders. When you want to leave you leave. When you want to take a quest you take one, prophecy or no prophecy. As long as you have a good reason to fight, you fight for this camp. I'm leaving with Leo tomorrow and we're going to bring back Nico and the Golden Fleece. Piper? Clarisse?" The two girls nodded in silence. Annabeth reluctantly turned to Jason who nodded not making her say anything to him.

"We leave tomorrow," Leo stood from the table and pushed his chair in walking toward the stairs that would switch directions so that it led into the basement. "Get some rest," Leo said to everyone at the table.

"Meeting adjourned," Annabeth walked away form the table and everyone stood starting to buzz around.

Piper caught Annabeth's arm and walked next to her. She still had red eyes and Annabeth was only focused on the next step as she headed for the stairs to go upstairs. "What's wrong with Leo? He seems upset." Piper asked as they walked. "I know you talk to him."

"He's about to lead a quest. Percy had the same attitude right before he disappeared." Annabeth muttered.

"And what attitude is that?" Piper stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Annabeth continued to climb.

There was a moment of silence where Annabeth thought about how to put it. She stopped at the top of the first flight of stairs and turned to look at Piper who was still waiting for an answer. Piper was so innocent in so many ways. She was about to be stuck in the middle of a war that she probably never could have imagined in her wildest most devious nightmares to happen.

"What's his attitude Annabeth?" Piper demanded seeming more frustrated than she had before. Chiron had been right, her emotions were completely out of control.

With a solemn look Annabeth turned away from Piper and headed up the next set of stairs looking down the daughter of Aphrodite from there who was still watching her with waiting eyes. "You can sleep when you're dead."

* * *

><p><strong>The end...of this chapter hahahahaha. Okay very well. I'll see when I can get another one up. <strong>

**Sincerely,**

**wisegirlindisguise**


	7. Guilt & Pain

Their group was silent as they drove. The bright side to everything was gone. Piper, Leo, Jason, Annabeth, and Clarisse were sitting in a white van heading to the last place they had seen the Siren. There was barely conversation and they didn't speak as a group. Jason sat in the very back alone. He was obviously the outcast who was considered aloof though no one gave him the choice to be otherwise. Clarisse and Annabeth were in the front seat with Clarisse driving. Annabeth was mapping out where exactly in the woods they had been while Clarisse tried to talk about all the different ways she could kill the monster for leaving her love dead.

All of that was very quiet compared to Leo and Piper. Leo was holding Piper very still in his arms. She was shaking with sobs and no one could seem to figure out why. Lately, Piper had been a mess. Her whole equilibrium seemed to be gone and her emotions sat on their heads. From the back Jason blamed himself. All the things about his past that he had started to remember and he hadn't told had come back to get him. In the worst way, he wished he could go back and change that. Then maybe, just maybe, Piper wouldn't be in tears in the arms of Leo on his account.

The other thing that was really starting to bother him was the prophecy Leo had sitting on his shoulders. Jason was still pretty sure Leo hadn't told anyone but him. Something about the "Trumpets of Urge" was weighing on his mind as if it weighed a ton at least. It hurt his head when he thought about it and if he tried to focus on the "gorgeous haze" he would drift into the part of his mind he had sworn he would never go. The whole prophecy made his head spin and he just sat there and let it. If his head was spinning from pain he wouldn't be able to focus on the pain in his chest from Piper.

Leo was whispering quietly to Piper the words to a Spanish lullaby his mother had taught him before she… It seemed to help Piper's breathing and she was able to suck the air down deep in her lung and stop the shaking momentarily. Piper welcomed Leo to hold her. She had thought of him as a goof for so long at the Wilderness School that the new Leo who had taken charge surprised her. On top of that, his warmth was comforting. He was a furnace basically under her skin. The warmth was hot to a point that it danced on the edge of uncomfortable but she didn't mind.

"Where did you learn to sing?" Piper asked after she had calmed down a quite a bit. She was lying with her back against his chest still wiping at her eyes some. The red that rimmed her eyes was obvious, and the shaking was still prominent but decreasing. She felt stupid for crying like this, but she couldn't seem to hold it back. All the emotions that had stirred that night they faced the siren were swirling and she had tried to hold them in for so long that they were gushing out at every crack. Her dam was falling apart.

"Mi madre," he chuckled and Piper almost laughed at the way his laughter felt against her spine. He was lighthearted still. Even though his face sometimes set itself in stone he was still Leo. He made corny jokes when he could get away with it, and he was there for his friends. He was there for Piper. "She told me when I was little that she never learned to sing. She wasn't even sure what singing was. But, if that's what holding words was then she could sure as hell do it." Leo gave a halfhearted chuckle obviously thinking back on the days when his mom was around all the time. "She would sing to me while she worked on the engines of cars so that I would stay quiet while she was working. I made her sing so much she would lose her voice sometimes."

"She must have had a gorgeous voice," Piper thought aloud looking back behind her to look at him.

"No," Leo shook his head making a sour face, "she was a terrible singer. I just liked to hear her voice." Leo put his arms behind his head as he sunk down on the wall of the van some. He closed his eyes heaving a sigh from the pit of his stomach. "I'd still like to if I could."

Piper fell quiet. She felt like she was venturing too far into his past. She had never really cared about Leo all too much until Jason showed up and never realized his past was worse than hers. Sure, her dad was famous. It sucked having people only know her for her father. Leo was all by himself though. He didn't have someone to call and have them say that they loved him endlessly. If she wanted to she could call her dad and he would tell her how grateful he was that she was safe. Leo didn't have that. She was trespassing, she decided and backed down from talking. Leo eventually fell asleep.

"Thank the gods he is finally sleeping," Annabeth turned around as Piper sat up. Piper nodded and Clarisse let out a sharp amused chuckle. "What? He's leading this quest and he needs his rest. He probably hasn't slept since our little encounter in the woods with the siren."

"You would hope that's what event made him restless," Clarisse whispered and Piper and Annabeth turned to her. Their probing eyes and Clarisse's sixth sense of them watching her urged her to speak. "I don't know about what you guys thought when you were out their looking for Percy but Leo and I were one of the few people that were at camp when everyone was killed. Leo walked in a little too late. Any earlier and he would've died. I was in the fight. I decided to play dead rather than fight. Survival of the fittest is what I usually play by and I'm the one that pulled the opossum act and let everyone get killed.

"If Leo has the same guilt as I do he hasn't slept since then and that's a hell of a long time," Clarisse muttered. Her grip had tightened on the steering wheel to a point that her knuckles were blister white. Her thumbs tapped on the faux leather and she took a long blink to collect herself.

"Guilt?" Piper asked and Annabeth's face fell. She didn't want to hear the answer to that specification. She wanted it to stay to Clarisse fearing she would take on the guilt as well. Annabeth was so obsessed with finding Percy, who was most likely safe for the time being, that she wasn't there for her camp when they needed her.

"Just one more life," Clarisse breathed staring at the road blankly, "if I could've saved one more life maybe I wouldn't feel like this…"

"Okay Clarisse," Annabeth shot Piper a glare for asking more questions. "Pull over at this motel. We're all tired. We just need the rest of today and tonight." Clarisse was about to argue, but as soon as her blinker went on Annabeth knew she had won. "Jason," Annabeth shouted to the back of the van, "I need you to contact a friend of mine while we're washing up."

"What?" Jason bellowed back.

"I'll give you a name and place. She should be there. That's where she said she would be if I needed her. Good luck." Clarisse parked the van and Annabeth hopped out. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and walked up to the main building. She got one room and thanks the man telling them they'd be out by the next morning. The man could care less.

* * *

><p>In a dark cave in Alaska a large man stood over a large fissure on the other side of it was the siren and Nico di Angelo who was very much in a daze. He was poised like a soldier with his sword sheathed at his side waiting to attack the first person that threatened <em>his <em>Cara. The large man seemed to radiate power as he stood there over the two like a giant. The argument was already upon them though and he was yet to be angered though that wouldn't take long.

"This is not a part of the deal!" Her form was shifting and she couldn't seem to stop it. She was livid which meant her self control was out the window. The air around her pushed around her hair and sent it into flurries. Her eyes glinted with fury but it was all wrong with the changes. Her eyes were many different colors and her hair seemed to be so many different shades that Enkelados was about to go mad.

"Pick a form you wretched creature!" Enkelados screeched. She smirked and put together the form of the Native American girl that seemed to get to Enkelados the most. He sneered but he did not yell at her to destroy it like he had last time. "Your job was to get this action in motion."

"I have! I've done it all and now I'm free." She stomped her foot and Enkelados just smiled as if he was the one winning.

"You're not free until I say you are. You have the perfect advantage. A son of Hades is ours with your help." The siren knew she could make him angry now. She snapped her fingers and just like when the picture had caught on fire the venom in Nico's blood burned up from where he stood next to her.

Once it was gone memories came flooding back, of everything. The massacre flooded his mind and suddenly he knew exactly what he had done. He crumbled to the ground. Pain struck through his head almost making him scream, but he bit his tongue and held it in. Then when the fire no longer had venom to burn for a few moments it burned him. The cry of pain happened so suddenly that it was shocking to him and his arms collapsed out from under him. His body curled in on itself and the fissure began to heat up as if it enjoyed the sound of pain around it.

"Deal with his pain yourself you dumb piece of shit. I am my own boss." The siren turned to walk away.

Enkelados stood up suddenly smirking. "Kneel." Pain surged through every one of her limbs and she continued to try to walk through it. Golden tears built up in her eyes and her form crumbled into the every changing creature that she no longer had any control over. With a drop of all self control she fell to all fours before she sat back on her heels and kneeled where she was. Enkelados nodded to two of his men on the wall, towering Cyclopes that gladly took on the job. "You'll stay under my command until I release you." He motioned carefully with his hand and the Cyclopes took Nico and the siren away. "I'll teach you to defy me." Then he vanished.


End file.
